


Sirens Arena

by AmberZ10



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman - Fandom, Gotham City Sirens (Comics)
Genre: Alliances, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, Angst and Tragedy, F/F, F/M, Frenemies, Gen, Uneasy Allies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-21
Updated: 2016-08-30
Packaged: 2018-07-25 18:11:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 30
Words: 39,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7542817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmberZ10/pseuds/AmberZ10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Justice League has changed the protocols for how they handle villains.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is rated 'M' for violent content.

Selina Kyle was beginning to sweat. The salty liquid rolled off her forehead and onto the leg of her black slacks. There was truly nothing more intimidating than sitting in front of the "Justice" League. "Justice" because Selina wasn't so sure they deserved that title anymore after their shift in protocol.

"We have reviewed your case…" Wonder Woman was saying.

Selina took a deep breath. 'Here is comes.'

"But despite a passionate plea from one of our senior members…"

Ms. Kyle's cat-like green eyes flitted to Batman.

"We have no choice but to deem you, Catwoman…a villain."

All of the air escaped Selina's lungs at once. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't think, all she could do was stare dumbly at the "heroes" surrounding her, boring holes in her with their judgmental gaze. Batman's mouth was drawn into a hard line. She looked at him pleadingly, but he refused to make eye contact.

"You will enter the arena at 5pm tomorrow evening." Wonder Woman continued. "May Hera take pity on your soul, and may the odds be ever in your favor."


	2. Chapter 2

Selina sat on her plush leather couch, transfixed on the dark television screen in front of her. She remembered the first round of this madness…that was five years ago. Lois Lane had been murdered and the world watched as the Justice League backpedaled, heartbroken for their leader. Her death had come at the hands of Batman's most famous adversary, The Joker- a man lacking any special abilities. The world watched as the Justice League responded out of fear, ramping up their methods until they finally decided that they were done dirtying their hands. They proposed a game, one not too dissimilar from what Wonder Woman had witnessed in her Grecian homeland. They set up a grand arena and the world watched as their villains were pitted against each other and made to fight to the death.

Selina had accompanied Batman to Lois' funeral. She had admired the woman for her intelligence and ambition and mourned with the others after her death…and now those very same people- her peers in many ways- had condemned her. Sentenced her to a violent death that the world would gawk at from the comfort of their living rooms.

She remembered the first year. She, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn sat on this very couch, watching on this very television screen with visible unease as The Joker pounced upon Calendar Man as he slept. Harley clapped when Joker took his victory wreath, but even that seemed more like an obligation than an actual display of excitement. The rules were, if you won, you were pardoned for your past crimes, but if you returned to your old life you would again be eligible for League review.

Poison Ivy had attempted to laugh it all off, calling the criminals in the arena "two-bit." She decided the rules simply wouldn't apply to her. As the years went on, the criminals included in the 'games' became higher profile. Black Manta had won last year, and Livewire the year before that. So this year, when the world was alerted that the league would be beginning their reviews, Ivy stole away in the dead of night. The abandonment started Harley on a downward spiral that lead her back into the Joker's arms. Selina hadn't heard from either woman for months.

Catwoman understood why Ivy had gone into hiding, she was a real villain with a rather significant body count on her record. She didn't fault her for leaving, it was necessary. Of course, Selina wished she would have taken Harley with her. Joker's version of Harley Quinn wasn't good for anybody. But Harley was loud and distracting and so Selina couldn't really fault Ivy for that either. Emotionally, it was a tough pill to swallow, but Catwoman recognized the practical motivation behind Pamela's decision to leave the jester behind. Selina had tried to keep Harley away from her "Puddin'", but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't fill the hole that Pam had left, and so she was forced to watch somewhat helplessly as Harley fell back into her old habits.

Funny that Catwoman had been so concerned with her friends that she'd forgotten to look out for herself. Not in a million years did she imagine that the Justice League would punish her so severely for her- in the grand scheme of things- inconsequential transgressions. Since when was the death penalty a punishment for art theft? That's what these 'games' were, after all- capital punishment. Wonder Woman had said Batman made a 'passionate plea', but that didn't offer much clout at the moment as Catwoman sat thinking of which weapon to bring into the arena.

Two weeks ago, the illustrious Batman had been in her bed. Bruce Wayne twisted up in her sheets. Still the tortured soul he'd always been, but there was nothing in his demeanor that hinted at her case coming up for review. Selina had run her fingers through his dark hair that was so much like her own and whispered things in his ear as he made love to her...and today…he sat in a room with his colleagues and addressed her coolly as her verdict was handed down.

"Asshole." Selina cursed to her empty loft. One of her cats walked over and brushed against her leg in what Selina perceived as an act of reassurance. "I'm screwed, aren't I, Isis?" The cat turned to look at her, blinked, and then meandered away towards her food bowl. "Figures." The brunette grumbled.

You were allowed to bring one weapon into the arena. Selina planned on bringing her whip and hiding her claws within her gloves to beat the system a little. It was mandated that the villains wear their signature costumes, which worked just fine for Catwoman, but she pitied the villains that wore brighter colors. She shook her head, trying to shoo the empathy away. These were not people anymore…most of them were hardly people to begin with…they were her targets, and anyone wearing bright colors was easy pickings. The League didn't tell the selections who would be joining them in the arena, so you couldn't truly prepare for anything. It forced you to put together a general strategy, or no strategy at all, and adjust it depending on who you encountered. Selina hated that. She was a cat-burglar, 'scout, prep, execute.' That was her mantra. This system was severely handicapping her.

Her doorbell rang. Selina wished it was Ivy coming to take her to safety somewhere deep in the amazon rain forest, but she knew who it actually was even before peaking at the monitor that depicted her outer door. It was Bruce. In a knee-jerk muscle memory reaction, the brunette raised her hand to buzz him in, but then she remembered the circumstances of his visit and thought better of it. She pressed the intercom instead. "Fuck off." The handsome billionaire looked up at the camera with pain in his blue eyes, but Selina hated him far too much in that moment to indulge him, so she gazed at his face on the monitor for what she knew might be the last time and then turned off the lights. "Goodnight, Bruce. And goodbye."


	3. Chapter 3

Selina had passed though the shock and betrayal phase at about noon on the day of her reckoning. She accepted that her final moments would likely play out on live television. She didn't know who she would be facing, but she expected that at least a few of them would have super-human abilities. She had fought metahumans before, but honestly her track record wasn't stellar and this controlled environment presented other obstacles.

She peered out the window of the helicopter as it flew inside the barrier and over the playing field. They were presently flying over a forest, but in the distance Catwoman could see a lake and rocky mountains and there were open, grassy meadows interspersed throughout. Selina weighed her options. She would need an element of surprise. She was famous for her stealth abilities and those wouldn't do her much good in an open field. Climbing the mountain would tire her out and reduce her combat effectiveness. Cats don't like water, so that was out…which just left the forest. The trees were pretty thick and could allow her to move around unnoticed, either through the branches or on the ground. She could sit back and wait to pounce. Besides, the anonymity of the other villains meant that nobody knew she was there either, and that could be worked to her advantage. It was do or die, calling this situation anything else would be a waste of time, and no matter what, Catwoman was going to go down swinging. 'Or scratching. Ha!' Selina never failed to amuse herself.

"You've got one day's rations in that pack." The pilot told her as he hovered 20 feet above the ground. "This is as low as I'm going. Savages out here, man. Good luck."

Catwoman pulled her tinted goggles over her eyes and strapped the small pack to her back. She took a deep breath and jumped down to the grass below her, nimbly rolling on the landing to avoid injury. She immediately began a mad sprint towards the forest's edge, looking around her all the time for adversaries. There didn't seem to be anyone else in the vicinity. Her claws came out of the fingers of her gloves and she quickly scaled a thick tree just past the meadow. Moving through the branches would be less efficient, but much safer since she could observe those on the forest floor as she went. She scurried along the bow of the tree, not rustling a single leaf as she leaped to the next one in her path. Catwoman continued like that, not stopping for air, until she could no longer see the clearing behind her. She slowed slightly as she had yet to see another person and began searching for the tree she would call home base. It took Selina a half hour and at least another half mile before she found one suitable to her needs. It had wide, sturdy branches and leaves thick enough to obscure her.

Selina sat down and took her pack off her back, removing the whip and setting it down next to her. She then took inventory of the food she'd been given- two protein bars, an apple and what looked to be instant mashed potatoes…although she supposed she would need water for that which was probably a trick to lure her closer to the lake. The League had also included a compass and a digital wrist watch, although the second item was highly unnecessary since Selina knew that the environment could be affected on a hero's whim and suddenly it would look like the middle of the night. Catwoman shoved the pack's contents back into her pack and zipped it up, leaning it against the tree's trunk.

The sun had just set when she finally noticed something move in the foliage below her. She squinted to try to make out the form…Catwoman almost rolled her eyes when she figured out who is was.

Jewelee was cautiously making her way through the forest, but Punch was nowhere in sight, so either he'd sent her on a scouting mission, or she'd been put into the arena without him. Catwoman couldn't discern what weapon she was carrying. As much as Jewelee was an absolute joke within the ranks of th female villains, she did have some rather effective toys. Of course, she was only allowed to bring one to this party. She didn't appear as if she was wearing the anti-gravity boots, so Catwoman didn't think she'd have to worry about the blonde flying away.

Jewelee was passing under her tree, it was now or never. Catwoman grabbed her whip and jumped down on top of the woman who screamed as Selina clawed at her neck. Turns out it didn't really matter what weapon she was carrying…Catwoman shoved the end of her whip into the blonde's mouth, hoping to silence the screams that were ripping through the quiet forest. 'That's going to draw some unwanted attention'. The leather handle succeeded in muffling her yelps and cries as she bled out, but she was by no means silent.

"I'm sorry…sort of." Catwoman whispered in the woman's ear. It was just dawning on Selina that she had ruthlessly and without hesitation taken the life from another person when she heard the rustling of leaves behind her. She grabbed the whip and spun around, her heart beating at warp-speed, but was met with a pleasantly familiar face.

"Kitty?" Harley Quinn asked

"Harley?" Catwoman gaped. "What are you…how long have you been here?"

"A week." Harley admitted, and now Catwoman saw it. The woman's colorful jester costume was dirty and tattered and there was a large scratch across her eye where her mask should have been. "That's crazy. How did you survive?"

Harley snorted. "Well thanks for the vote a confidence, Kitty."

"I'm sorry, Harley…" Selina was trying to wrap her head around both their reunion and the murder she'd just committed. "It's just, a week is a long time, and…"

"She had some help." A deeper female voice came from the darkness behind Harley.

"Ivy?" Catwoman tried to keep her voice down as the green woman emerged from the foliage, her red hair curly and knotted.

"Let's not do this here." Ivy said quickly.

"To the treehouse!" Harley said excitedly. "Who'd ya get?" She whispered sometime later as she and Selina followed behind Ivy who was leading the way to their shelter.

"Jewelee." Catwoman told her, noticing that she didn't feel as much remorse as she should have.

"Ooh. That ain't so bad." Harley chuckled. "Me n' Red had ta knock off Hatter."

Poison Ivy stopped as three thick vines dropped down from an especially large tree. Harley jumped onto one and it carried her upwards until she disappeared into the mass of branches. Selina caught on and followed suit.

"You built this?" The brunette asked once Ivy had joined them. She was admiring the makeshift room made from a thatch-work of vines.

The redhead nodded, eyeing Selina suspiciously. "Why are you here?"

"The league deemed me a villain." Catwoman told her. "Why the hell are YOU here? I thought you went underground."

"Nuh uh." Harley piped up from her cross-legged position in the corner. "Red's been here for months."

"What?" Selina turned back to Ivy, unable to hide her surprise. "But I've been watching. I didn't see you."

Ivy sighed, exhaustion evident on her face. "I've been employing a defensive strategy."

"Ya." Harley seconded. "Red doesn't even have'ta leave the treehouse, ain't that neat? Her plant babies do all the work."

"So you never went away at all? You were here the whole time?" Selina asked.

"Went away? Pfft. Red would never leave me." Harley assured herself.

Selina observed the traces of a smirk make their way into the green woman's fair features. Catwoman furrowed her brow, "So then what were you two doing on the ground tonight?"

"Pickin' strawberries!" Harley told her excitedly. "Red grows all sortza stuff down there so we don't go hungry cuz…ah…that stuff in my pack only lasted me about an hour." The jester giggled and Ivy rolled her eyes.

"Her appetite is insatiable."

"And that ain't jus' innuendo!" Harley laughed.

Well…it was reassuring at least that Harley still had her sense of humor. "I guess the berries were what Jewelee was looking for."

Ivy nodded. "I try to disguise them best I can, but it doesn't take a genius to sniff out something edible. Hungry people can do amazing things."

"Look at us!" Harley jumped up and put her arms around the other women, pulling them into a tight hug. "Three best friends. Together again."

"Yeah, sure." Catwoman acknowledged, prying the blonde's arm free. "Although I couldn't imagine worse circumstances."

"Can we keep er', Red? Please?" Harley batted her eyelashes.

"Harley." Ivy's tone was serious. "An alliance means that even if we win, we will at some point have to make a decision…"

"Yeah, yeah…I know, Red." Harley clearly didn't want to have to think about that, so she gave Ivy a quick, chaste kiss and then grinned at Selina. "Whadda'ya say, Kitty? Wanna join our team?"

"Depends." Selina crossed her arms. "Are you going to murder me in my sleep, Ivy?"

"Why would I need to do that if I could beat you just as easily in a fair fight?"

Oh, good. Harley was still a terribly unfunny comedienne and Ivy was still a narcissistic bitch. All was right(ish) with the world.


	4. 4

“Jewelee’s down.” Oracle announced as she summoned a body-copter.

“Who got her?” Flash asked, coming to stand behind the woman’s wheelchair. He peered over her shoulder at the interactive display.

“Catwoman.” She told him as they watched the helicopter pick up the woman’s body.

“Really?” Flash was amused.

“Never bet against Catwoman…” Barbara toggled the display so the camera moved through the trees.

Barry pulled a chair over and put his feet up on the desk. “Remind me why we didn’t tell Poison Ivy she’s already won twice?”

Oracle cleared her throat, shifting uncomfortably. “Superman said she was cheating.”

Flash chuckled. “How’s that?”

“She doesn’t ever show her face; the majority of kills last time came from poisoning the fruit she’s been growing…I don’t know. You guys seem to want a better show, to set an example or whatever.” She moved the camera to give her an aerial view of the forest.

Flash crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at the screen. “So we’re just going to keep sending people in until she tries a different strategy?”

“Why do you think Harley’s in there?” Oracle entered the code that filled the sky with stars.

“Umm…because she’s a criminal?” Flash guessed. “That’s why I voted ‘yes’. Why? Do they not get along or something?”

“No.” Barbara adjusted her glasses. “I’m fairly certain that they’re involved romantically.”

Flash furrowed his brow. “That’s a bit cruel, don’t you think? There can only be one winner.”

Oracle shrugged. “I don’t get a vote. I just run the game.”

/

Ivy told her she would keep watch, but Selina found there was nothing restful about this environment. Every creak, groan, or shuffle made Selina’s hair stand on end. So she lay awake, her green eyes glowing in the darkness as she watched her comrades in the other corner of the room. Ivy’s telepathic communication with plants made it so she didn’t actually have to physically keep watch, she just needed to remain tuned into her senses and the foliage would alert her when there was an intruder. Unlike Selina, Harley was evidently able to sleep anywhere. She was long gone, her arm wrapped tightly around Ivy’s waist and her head treating the woman’s green chest like a pillow.

The faint moonlight shining through the holes in the vine thatch-work provided enough illumination to see that Ivy was stroking the girl’s matted blonde hair. While Harley looked peaceful in her slumber, Ivy’s expression was pained- concerned. Selina was glad she didn’t have to live inside that mind. She could tell Pamela’s thoughts were moving a mile a minute.

Despite having lived and worked together, there wasn’t too much that Selina and Pamela saw eye to eye on. Or maybe the issue was that they were too similar- Selina certainly didn’t think so, but she’d heard that theory before. Either way, the three of them worked because Selina was friends with Harley, and Pamela was Harley’s…Ivy. It was a lot easier to categorize them when Harley was asleep, wrapped so tightly around Ivy that Selina almost felt sorry for her. Every so often the redhead would lean down and press a kiss to the girl’s forehead, and in those moments, it was clear to Selina that Ivy was Harley’s girlfriend. But the daylight brought complications. The daylight brought “Mistah J.” Catwoman shuttered involuntarily. She hated that clown. Everyone hated that clown. Everyone but the person who should really hate him the most- Harley Quinn.

Selina watched Pam’s eyes flit to meet hers; she had been staring too long. Neither one of them spoke. There was enough meaning in the silence. Although Catwoman was grateful for the companionship, she knew this alliance was just delaying the inevitable. Ivy was right- a choice would eventually have to be made. Selina knew what she would choose. She would choose herself. As much as she loved the other two women in this room, she did not love them more than she loved herself. Ivy, too, would attempt to kill Selina when necessary in favor of her own life, but Harley threw the dynamics off.

A knot tightened in the pit of Selina’s stomach…as she watched Ivy pull Harley protectively closer to her chest, she mapped a hypothetical path to victory. She instantly hated herself for even thinking it, but if worse came to worst, Poison Ivy’s weakness was rather obvious. This is what this ‘game’ did, it brought out the worst in humanity. It pitted friends and allies against each other, it warped your mind, leaving something even more dark and twisted in its place. For most villains, that wouldn’t be a problem, most of them were sociopaths anyway…but these women were different. They had shown tremendous growth since they started out. Catwoman used to steal out of necessity, now she stole for fun and regularly took up arms against the more nefarious forces in Gotham City. She had evolved from a self-interested thief to an anti-hero who was known to hang around the wrong crowd. She didn’t belong here. That much was clear. Harley Quinn had gone from a completely co-dependent, abused lackey, to a woman who occasionally was able to make a decision for herself and sometimes allowed for a healthier relationship. Poison Ivy evolved from an extremist, psychotic and royally unstable mad scientist who believed that the human race was the scourge of the earth, to a plant hybrid with a short fuse who found two distinct human beings tolerable, and those two were right here with her, realizing that they’d more than likely have to kill each other to save their own skin.

This process wasn’t going to end in reform; it was going to end in heartbreak. Any way you slice it. After being thrown in here, there was no way Catwoman would be working with any of the heroes that condemned her again. Watching Ivy kill Catwoman would strip her of the softness that made her embrace comforting after Harley was abused by Joker, and if Ivy died Harley would be heading straight back to him anyway. If Ivy had to watch Harley die…no one would be safe.

“Thank you for letting me stay.” Selina whispered.

Ivy nodded solemnly. “You always let us stay.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Here.”

Selina woke with a start as an apple bounced off her cheek. “Ow!” She didn’t even realize she’d been asleep. The sunlight was streaming into the makeshift room from nearly every direction and Catwoman pried her eyes open to figure out what had just happened.

“Breakfast. For you.” Poison Ivy gestured to the red apple that might very well leave a bruise on the brunette’s face.

“Thanks.” Catwoman grumbled as she sat up, ignoring the soreness in her back. “Where’s Harley?”

“Checking the traps. She promised she could do it without getting herself killed.” Ivy was curt, looking nervously at the ground below them.

Selina took a bite out of the apple. “What traps?”

“I’ve been digging pits in the ground since I got here. I cover them and when a person falls in, the tree roots bind them until they suffocate.” Ivy said, pride evident on her face.

“What did you dig them with?” Selina asked as she hungrily continued to devour the fruit. She hadn’t realized she was starving.

“A shovel.” Ivy answered plainly. “We were allowed to bring one weapon, I brought a shovel.” She let out a relieved sigh when Harley’s blonde head bobbed back into view.

“How practical of you.” Selina grunted. “I take it none of the traps can be very far away, since you still have to control the tree roots.”

Ivy nodded. “I can do a quarter mile in any direction. Had I been able to bring specimens from home, they would have moved on their own accord, but these trees don’t know me.”

Selina heard Harley grab onto the vine below them and in another moment she was pulling herself through the hole in the floor. “Nobody last night.” The blonde announced.

Pamela sighed, helping the younger woman to her feet. “I know there are two other selections in the forest.”

“Who?” Catwoman asked, she wished she had another apple.

“I can’t say who or exactly where they are.” Ivy explained. “As far as I can tell, the forest is about six miles wide and both individuals are too far away for me to pinpoint their location.”

“And Red likes to play where they come to her.” Harley grinned. “That’s how I found’er. I fell into one of those pesky pits and Red’s babies were chokin’ me and I got a bunch’a splinters all ovah but then my bestest BFF here…” she pulled Ivy into her vice grip. “Came n’ bailed me out!”

“I didn’t know it was her.” Ivy assured Selina with an expression nearing embarrassment.

“Good for you.” Selina nodded at Harley, aware that the story could have had a very different ending if Ivy had arrived any later. “I went through the trees.”

“Smart woman.” Ivy separated from Harley.

“Hey!” Harley complained. “Are you guys makin’ fun a me?”

“You said you can’t pinpoint their location exactly, but can you get a gist for a general direction?” Catwoman asked, ignoring Harley.

“Yes.” Ivy tuned Harley out as well. “One stays in the northern quadrant. They seem to be relatively sedentary. The other is constantly moving, and quickly too.”

Selina furrowed her brow. “North…that’s towards the lake, right?”

Ivy nodded. “My guess? They sleep in the trees at the edge of the forest so they have quick access to water. They’re powerful, whoever they are. I was initially dropped at the lake and was involved in two altercations almost instantaneously. Whoever this is has been camped out there for a while and survived, so they’re clearly confident in their abilities.”

“And how do we get water?” Catwoman wanted to know.

“From the trees!” Harley couldn’t stand being silent any longer. “Red gave me this lil’ thingy that I knock inta the trunk and water comes out.”

“A spile.” Pamela reminded her.

“A spile.” Harley repeated, liking the feel of the word in her mouth.

“There used to be a small underground spring, but other selections kept infringing on my territory so I poisoned it. It’s still safe for me to ingest, but even with Harley’s immunities I didn’t feel comfortable, so for right now, you two will only drink from the spiles.”

Selina nodded in understanding. “So what do you do during the daylight?”

“What *don’t* we do.” Harley winked flirtatiously, prompting an eye roll from Ivy.

“We wait, mostly.” The redhead answered seriously. “For someone to come to us.”

“And what if they don’t?” Selina asked. “Are you planning to just live here forever?”

“This is how I play the game.” Ivy told her matter-of-factly. “If you want to go all commando, be my guest. But this is how you survive.”

“You don’t gotta be mean, Red.” Harley interjected.

“You mean this is how you subsist.” Catwoman corrected, once again ignoring Harley. “How long has it been since you caught someone in one of your traps?”

“Three days.” Harley answered for Ivy who was glaring at the brunette in front of her. “That’s when we got Hatter.”

“Well, The League is probably wising up. They’re dropping people further away from you.” Selina wasn’t a fan of the look on Ivy’s face, but she pressed on. “And who knows how many more selections are out there. Maybe it’s just those two in the forest, maybe there’s 20 more in the mountains. Either way, you’re eventually going to have to go check it out if you ever want to get home.”

Ivy scoffed. “Well if you’re so gung-ho, why don’t you check it out yourself? I’m not the only one with legs.”

“Mom, dad…stop fighting!” Harley looked like she was about to pull her hair out. “I think you’re both real pretty.”

Ivy was scowling at the blonde now too. Harley had clearly meant for that joke to diffuse the situation, but her beauty was not something that Ivy took lightly.

“Oops!” Harley smiled sweetly and battled her eyelashes, pulling on her most endearing expression. “But you’re the prettiest, Red. See?” She kissed her on the cheek. “Kitty don’t get a kiss.”

“Yeah, and I don’t want one, either.” Catwoman assured them. “You know I’m right, Ivy. Don’t be petulant.”

“I am not petulant!” Ivy growled. “I would just rather not die, thank you very much.”

“Look…” Selina adopted a more calming tone. “I’m not saying we should leave immediately…I’m just saying, there are three of us now…we can afford to play a little offense.”


	6. Chapter 6

Selina and Harley watched as Ivy paced back and forth. She'd been at it for at least 10 minutes. Pam had never seemed like the pacing type to Selina, she always came off more as a 'sit down and focus' type brain-stormer, but again, this environment tended to change people.

"Pam?" Harley ventured after a while. "Pam-a-lam?"

The redhead held up her finger to signal that she needed another moment and Harley fell silent again, pretending to zip her mouth and throw away the key.

"I need three days." Ivy decided, finally. "Three days and a promise that you will respect my authority."

Selina raised an eyebrow. "Authority? What authority?"

"I know what I'm doing." The green woman explained. "I've been here. I have personally killed 14 selections. I am the only one here with special abilities…I am in charge."

"Oh I don't think so." Selina crossed her arms. "I'll respect your authority on poisons and botany, but when it comes to staying in the shadows, you're going to have to fall in line. There's literally nothing about you that's subtle, Pam."

Harley snickered. "She's gotta point, Red. You ain't exactly sneaky. You're kinda like a peacock." If looks could kill…Harley cowered slightly "I jus…I jus mean cuz you're so pretty, Pammikins!"

Ivy grunted, letting that one slide as she turned back to Selina. "Fine. Then I will need you to use your 'stealth capabilities' to bring me back a few items that will help us on our journey."

"OK…" Selina moved her hands to her hips. "Like what?"

/

"Catwoman is on the move." Oracle called over her shoulder.

Zatanna plopped down into the chair next to her. "Where's she headed?" She asked with her mouth half full of breakfast burrito.

"I don't think I've ever seen you eat before." Barbara noticed as she adjusted the camera to give them a good look at Catwoman as she scurried along the tree branches.

"You're witnessing a unicorn." Zatanna chuckled as she took another bite. "Where's she coming from? Where's she going?"

"Unfortunately, I can't answer either of those questions." Barbara glanced at her watch, it was 11am, time to turn the heat up just a bit. She raised the temperature in the game environment from 68 to 72 degrees. "I could only get one angle where she killed Jewelee and then she disappeared. The forest is too thick in that spot to follow her."

Zatanna chewed. "Sounds like a design flaw."

"It wasn't a design flaw…" Oracle grumbled. "Ivy updated the design herself."

"See, this is where Selina would make a snide comment about how that's so Ivy and I would laugh." The magician chuckled as she watched her colleague leap onto the next branch. "We can both agree that this is beyond strange though, right? Watching Selina of all people go through this?"

"What do you mean 'Selina of all people'?" Barbara's attention remained on the screen as Catwoman dropped to the ground near Ivy's poisoned spring. Barbara's heartrate picked up speed.

Zatanna saw it too and her chewing slowed. "I mean….we're….you know….we're Gotham girls…" Her eyes were glued to the same place as Barbara's. "I think Ivy's about to kill Selina."

Oracle nodded slowly, suddenly wishing that she could warn the villain. "I know…" she breathed.

The two women watched in silence as Catwoman cautiously approached where the clear water was bubbling up from the ground. She looked over her shoulder and- after evidently deciding that she was alone- took the bag off of her back and began to fill it with the liquid.

"She's not going to drink it?" Zatanna asked.

Oracle narrowed her eyes. "I guess not…"

Zatanna scooted her chair closer. "Will that bag even keep the water in?"

Barbara nodded as she tried to figure out what was happening. "They're dry bags. It should—" She stopped when a red dot blinked on the screen. "Harley's out too…" she clicked on the notification and an image of Harley Quinn grew so that it shared the screen with Catwoman. The blonde jester was sprinting across the forest floor, leaping over the slightly discolored sections of grass that Barbara knew were concealing Ivy's traps.

"Well where do you think she's going?" Zatanna sat back, but she didn't have to wonder long because Harley stopped at the base of one of Ivy's apple trees and began to hurriedly strip the branches of as many as she could carry. "Are those the ones she poisoned?" the magician asked.

Oracle shook her head. "No…Captain Boomerang ate those and he was fine."

Zatanna furrowed her brow. "Isn't Boomerang dead?"

"Mhm." Barbara nodded. "But it was the water that killed him, not the fruit. Ivy's got another tree about 200 feet north of there that we know for sure is poisoned, though."

Zatanna mulled that over. "So either Harley got lucky, or Ivy told her which one was safe."

"Well we figured Ivy would protect her for as long as she could." Oracle scowled as Harley stuck her tongue out at the camera. She turned her focus back to Catwoman who was now strapping the heavy bag onto her back. "Do you think she's protecting—"

"Selina too?" Zatanna finished her sentence. "Oh absolutely. I've seen it before."

"Well we've all seen it before, but—"

"Ivy will end the alliance when it suits her." The magician cut Barbara off again. "But those three are like a weird little gang."

"You sound a bit jealous." Oracle smirked as she moved the camera forward, forcing Harley to have to duck to avoid it.

"I'm not jealous." Zatanna crossed her arms, watching Catwoman make her way more slowly through the branches. "I'm just saying putting them all in there together was a bit reckless."

"What are you talking about?" Barbara asked, turning to the brunette. "You voted, didn't you?"

Zatanna shook her head. "Only Diana, Clark, Bruce and Hal voted on Ivy. They went and got her in the middle of the night, too. I heard they had Joker help lure her somewhere and they pardoned him for another round."

Barbara cocked her head. "Why would they do that?"

"Well Joker doesn't exactly match up favorably against Diana's selection." Zatanna chuckled. "I mean, we sent him back in anyway and they ended up delaying her arrival…"

Oracle raised an eyebrow. "They sent Ivy in to fight Cheetah?"

Zatanna was chomping down on her burrito again. "That's what I heard." She swallowed. "Not like it's paid off. They haven't even come within a mile of each other."

Barbara turned back to the screen as both Harley and Selina dove to places the cameras couldn't follow. "Ivy, Harley, Catwoman, Joker, Bane and Cheetah. I guess they really did want a show…"


	7. Chapter 7

Harley had arrived back at the treehouse just ahead of Selina. The blonde was motioning for the vine with her freehand while the other clutched two apples to her chest.

"Didn't Ivy say 'as many as you could carry'?" Selina asked, disappointed in Harley's bounty.

"Uh…yeah…One for each hand. Here, hold this, will ya?" Harley tossed Selina one of the apples and secured herself on the vine with the other. Her feet left the ground almost instantaneously.

"Why didn't you use your bag?" Selina called after her. Harley was already gone, though. The brunette grimaced at the upper body strength required to hold onto the rope-like plant with a gallon and a half of water on her back for the 50 feet from the ground to the shelter. Harley was there with helpful hands at the top, pulling Catwoman up through the hole in the floor and unclipping the pack from her back.

"Thanks." Selina panted.

"What are friends for, Kitty?" The blonde winked.

Selina sighed internally, her heart breaking for the genuinely kind woman below all the gimmicks. 'Oh, Harley…' The brunette's green eyes flitted over to their other comrade. Ivy was sitting in the corner with her bare back towards the other two, her strapless leafy green leotard converging at the very base of her spine. "So what's the plan?" Selina asked.

The redhead turned around slowly, gingerly holding her wrist over a small gourd. A large gash was sliced across her veins and sticky green liquid was cascading forth, filling the container drop by drop.

"Jesus, Ivy…" Selina tried to keep her tone light. "We were only gone for like 30 minutes. You didn't need to resort to self-harm."

Harley squinted, cocking her head to the side. "As a mental health professional, I'm not sure I can condone that joke." Then she giggled and gave Catwoman a light punch in the shoulder. "And anyway, if she really wanted to hurt herself she'd-a cut the otha way."

"Harley…" Ivy's eyes never left her wrist. She didn't want to spill a single drop. "I need a stick." Harley opened her mouth, but not before Ivy quickly continued "and I need you to resist the urge to turn that into some sexual joke."

Harley pouted, and Selina couldn't help herself. "Why don't you just use the one stuck up your butt, Pam?"

Harley tried her best to cover her mouth, but she was powerless against the onslaught of laugher that poured forth. Selina smiled broadly, liking the effect the joke had on the jester.

Ivy raised her shining green eyes slowly, a vine slithering out from somewhere beneath the leaves of her suit. It wrapped itself tightly around her wrist, stopping the blood flow. "Oh yes…" her tone was measured, methodical, dangerous. "Go ahead and make jokes, you two. I'll remember that when whoever is out there has one of you pinned to the ground."

Harley wiped the tears away from her wide blue eyes. "Ah come on, Red. That was a good one. You're jus' grumpy cuz—"

"The three of us have been forced into a gladiator's arena where the only hope of escape is to murder each other?" Ivy's brow was raised in a question, even though it was clearly rhetorical. "Yes, Harl. Now that you mention it, I am a little grumpy."

"Sure, but we don't gotta kill each otha right now." Harley plopped down next to Ivy with little regard for the poison-filled gourd sitting on the uneven thatch-work of the treehouse floor. The redhead caught it just as it began to tip. She whipped her head back to face Harley, as red with fury as she could be given her green complexion, but Harley grabbed her cheeks and pulled her into a deep kiss. Now she was red for an entirely different reason. Ivy grunted in surprise, but seemed to relax into it rather quickly.

"Harley!" Selina clapped her hands like the blonde was a bad dog. "Time and place! Time and place."

That broke the spell on Ivy and she broke away. "T-time and place." She echoed Selina with a stutter.

That made the jester giggle. "Even when you ain't ready you're a great kissa, Red. I know bein' a plant n' stuff can be hard, but I don't mind all the lip-lockin' practice ya get." She pulled the other woman close again and kissed her, but on the cheek this time. "Now ya wanna let Kitty n' me in on the plan? Why do ya need a stick?"

Ivy was reclaiming her wits. It never ceased to amaze Catwoman how uncomfortable Pamela was with public displays actual affection. "I'm going to shape it into a knife and you're going to use it to carve out the apples." The green vixen told them.

"Then what?" Harley prompted.

"Then we're going to fill them with the poison I'm producing…" Ivy's brow furrowed at the apples Harley had returned with. "Harl, I told you to bring me back the poisoned apples. Those ones are safe for consumption."

"Oh." Harley looked down at her lap, guiltily. "Sorry, Red. I guess I got em' mixed up."

Ivy was clearly fighting the urge to roll her eyes. Instead she just sighed and looked over at Selina. "The shiny ones are poisoned. Could you be a dear and run the errand? I know Harley is trying her best…" she eyed the blonde sideways. "But this is the second time she's made this mistake."

Selina watched Harley wring her hands in her lap. 'I guess this is hitting her just as hard as the rest of us…' "Of course." Catwoman nodded. "Will I be able to touch them?"

Ivy was absently squeezing Harley's hand. "Yes, they're only toxic if ingested." Catwoman turned to leave. "When you get back, I need your suit."

"What?" Selina spun back around.

"I need to wear your suit." Ivy repeated. "I need to sweat in order to produce the more potent pheromones." She explained. "I had to leave my spray and lipstick at home, you see. Although I can also secrete them naturally, I need to amplify them for this setting. The open spaces cause the fumes to dissipate."

Catwoman pulled on an expression somewhere between disgust and fascination. "You want to borrow my suit so you can…so you can sweat in it?"

Ivy nodded, her fingers now dancing across Harley's leg, making the younger woman squirm with delight.

"Fine." Catwoman conceded. "But your methods of 'working up a sweat', or whatever, may NOT include Harley. Not in my suit. Got it?"

Ivy's expression betrayed her when a faint smile crept along her lips. "Got it."


	8. Chapter 8

“Looks like Bane is headed back to the lake…” Supergirl narrated what was happening on the oversized display.

Barbara nodded, watching as Bane’s lumbering form stepped out from the tree line. The ground looked like it was almost vibrating as he walked. The thing about the lake is that although it’s where most of the selections tended to set up shop, making it very dangerous, there was also really nowhere to hide. So in the final stages of the game, when the remaining selections were able to fan out, it wasn’t altogether unsafe.

“I think he’s starting to run out of venom.” Oracle told her friend.

“Remind me what that is, again?” Supergirl crossed one leg over the other.

“A steroid- to put it as simply as possible.” Barbara explained. “But it’s an extraordinarily addictive substance.”

Cara watched as the hulking man leaned over to drink from the lake. “So he’s going to go through withdraws soon, then?”

“I think they’ve already started.” Oracle told her. “That’s his 5th trip to the lake today.”

“What about Cheetah?” Supergirl wondered.

“She ran another lap around the forest today.” Barbara switched the display to an image of Wonder Woman’s arch nemesis, Cheetah- aka, Barbara Ann Minerva- curled up in the tall grass of the meadow on the western side of the forest. “She won’t go inside, though.”

Cara squinted, sitting forward slightly to get a better look at the cat-human hybrid. “Why not?”

Oracle shrugged. “She’s a runner, her strength is in open-space combat.”

“So Bane might take himself out, Cheetah’s not going to move…where’s Joker?” The blonde asked.

“I’m having the same issue with him that I’m having with the Sirens. The vegetation is just too thick in that part of the woods.” There was a hint of defeat in Barbara’s voice.

“Right…the Sirens.” Supergirl leaned back in her chair again. “I saw them go on those little excursions today.”

Barbara turned to her friend. “Did you see Catwoman go back out for the other apples?”

Cara nodded. “But aren’t both Ivy and Harley immune to poisons? What good would Catwoman taking those apples do? Unless she’s going to eat them…but you said she obviously knew about the water. Seems weird Ivy would tell her about one and not the other.”

“Maybe they’re making a move?” Barbara appreciated having Supergirl there to brainstorm with.

“What’s their team dynamic like?” Cara asked, curling her legs up omto her chair.

The former Batgirl sighed, thinking. “Well if we were just going off IQ- Ivy is the brains. But Catwoman has street smarts and is definitely the most level-headed of the three. The only sane one, I think. Although they all three have shown glimpses of sanity. Anyway, seems to me like Selina and Pamela tussle for the leadership position while Harley’s in the middle sort of like the glue, I guess.”

“Mmm.” Supergirl was nodding. “So maybe Catwoman convinced Ivy it was time to move and Harley just fell in line.”

Barbara mulled that over. “Yeah I do find it interesting that we haven’t seen Ivy yet. I mean, Harley and Catwoman are both capable, but at the end of the day they pale in comparison to Ivy- in terms of power, I mean. So why is she having them run errands?”

Cara scrunched up her nose, which signaled to Barbara that she was deep in thought. “Well Poison Ivy is a chemist, right?”

“Among other things…” the redhead answered.

“So the poisoned apples, the poisoned water…Yeah, I think they are going to move.” Supergirl decided. “Maybe Ivy’s making a mobile version of her little chemistry set. Where do you think they’re headed?”

“Well the lake is the best bet, right? Where else would they go?” Barbara turned back to her dashboard. “Wonder Woman wanted Ivy to fight Cheetah…”

“But Cheetah’s nowhere near the lake.” Cara followed her gaze to the cat hybrid who was now stretching her limbs out after her nap. “But I guess she’ll need to get water eventually…”

Oracle smiled then, not out of maliciousness, but out of excitement at the prospect of really getting to use her technology. “How about we speed up that process?”

“How?”

Oracle adjusted a dial. “Let’s turn up the heat.”

/

“You look weird.” Catwoman stated as eloquently as she could muster as she stared at Poison Ivy in the black latex suit.

“I’d say I’m wearing it rather admirably, actually.” Ivy grinned. “Although I do seem to be more well-endowed in some areas.”

The makeshift blanket of vines Ivy had put together for Selina wasn’t doing much in the way of obscuring the brunette, but she suspected Ivy was referring to how it was difficult for her to zip Catwoman’s suit up over her ampler bosom. “I’m doing you a favor, Ivy. Don’t be a bitch.”

“Oh, on the contrary, Cat.” Ivy examined the look of her “assets” in the suit. “I’m doing you a favor.”

“You’re doin’ us all a favor, Red.” Harley giggled in the corner.

Catwoman rolled her eyes. “I think she means because she’s putting everything together, Harley.”

“A’course, a’course.” Harley bounced slightly, that familiar maniacal grin plastered on her face. “That’s what I was sayin’ too. Get’cha mind outta the gutta, Kitty.”

“Whatever.” Selina grumbled. “Ivy, Jesus. Do you think you could have picked a heavier type of plant for this? It feels like it’s 1000 degrees in here.”

“Well you’re clearly exaggerating.” Ivy pulled uncomfortably at the black collar. “But I agree.”

“Why would they adjust the temperature?” Catwoman wondered.

“Maybe they’re rootin’ for us!” Harley leapt up.

“I highly doubt they’re aware of our plan, Harl.” Ivy sobered. “It may not even have been purposeful. Heroes can be rather stupid sometimes.”

Harley shrugged. She clearly didn’t care one way or the other. “Can I have the water thingy, Red? I’m thirsty.”

“The spile.” Ivy corrected as she nodded and turned around to grab the metal apparatus from her League-issued pack. “Make it quick, alright? It’s getting dark and you’ve been lost before.”

“Yeah…but now I’m found.” Harley grinned and clasped her hands beneath her chin.

Ivy couldn’t help but laugh, which succeeded in bringing a smile to Selina’s face as well. “You’re so cheesy.” The redhead teased.

“And I think ya sorta like it!” The jester snatched the instrument from Ivy’s hand and leapt down through the hole in the floor.

Catwoman waited until the girl’s pigtails bobbed out of sight. “I’m honestly surprised you let her go anywhere alone.”

“This isn’t a dictatorship.” Ivy crossed her arms, realizing the movement was difficult in her present attire. “She’s a grown woman. I’m not her keeper.”

Selina leaned against the wall. “But you would be if you could be.”

“No.” Ivy’s jaw tightened. “That’s what he does. I am not him.”

“Well way to take the high road.” Catwoman applauded with only a hint of sarcasm. Ivy was gazing down at the ground below them, so Selina continued. “I know this is all going to end in death and destruction, but I bet it feels pretty good to have her all to yourself for a little while. She can’t exactly leave you this time.”

“It’s not like that…” Ivy’s attention remained elsewhere.

“Oh, come on.” Catwoman prodded. “Protecting her from the big bad world has never been more literal. I know that’s always been a turn on for you.”

“Drop it, Selina.” Pam’s tone switched from distracted to warning. “We all have enough to worry about right now. Like how about the fact that Batman condoned your selection?” She turned on her.

“He…he made a passionate plea.” Catwoman wasn’t sure why she was defending him. “It just wasn’t enough.”

“That’s bullshit, Selina.” Ivy spat. “You know it is. He’s sold you out before and it sounds like he did it again.”

“You have no idea what happened. None of us do.” Catwoman’s voice was growing steadily louder. “And don’t project your shit on me. How about you tell Harley that you need to be enough so she stops making you miserable.”

“I want her to choose to leave him, for herself, not just to be with me.” Ivy was deescalating.

Selina sighed. “Look, Pam. I love Harley. God knows I do and I know that she’s not nearly as ridiculous as she pretends to be, but she can be so stupid sometimes. I know that’s a very Joker thing of me to say, but it’s true.”

Ivy frowned. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that this environment is not conducive to idiots, Pam. So help her out, please. I mean, we’re probably all going to die eventually, but I don’t want to deal with you if she does.”


	9. Chapter 9

“Master Bruce.” Alfred cleared his throat. “May I ask what you’re doing down here at this ungodly hour? Shouldn’t you be…out?”

“She has a 7% chance of defeating Cheetah, a 12% chance of beating Ivy, a 13% chance against Bane, and a 54% likelihood of killing Harley.” Batman read off the probabilities he’d calculated from his position at the smaller computer monitor in the Batcave.

“Are we discussing Ms. Kyle?” Alfred inquired, setting the tray of food he was carrying down on the desk.

“Yes.” Bruce adjusted the formulas slightly in the hopes of getting a different result. “Clark would have never put Lois in there…”

“To be fair, Master Bruce, Ms. Lane didn’t have a million-dollar fortune as a result of thievery and black market sales.” Alfred reminded him. 

Bruce turned the chair to face his butler. “Pamela Isley, body count easily over 300. Harleen Quinzel, over 50 directly, a thousand more when in conjunction with Joker’s crimes. Bane’s in the same boat and Cheetah is Wonder Woman’s most insistent adversary. I’d hardly say that Selina belongs with that crowd. Thief or not.”

“Seems to me it’s the system that’s flawed, Master Wayne, not the players.” Alfred argued. “The whole practice makes it seem as if we’re living in some dystopian nightmare.” He turned to leave Bruce to his thoughts. “And as far as your formulas, I’d say she has closer to a 5% chance of defeating Cheetah.” He called over his shoulder.

/

Selina watched as Ivy began to carve out the 8th apple. It was supposed to be Harley’s job, but it was evidently taking her longer than expected to quench her thirst. Ivy insisted that it was better this way because she could do it quicker and more efficiently, but Selina knew she had about 1000 other things to do. Selina herself would have pitched in, but they only had one carving instrument and under no circumstances would Ivy let her move onto the next step in the process which was filling the receptacles with the mixture of toxins she’d created using the water and her own blood.

Catwoman studied the emerald woman closely, impressed with the look of complete concentration on her face despite the fact that Harley was still gone. It was curious sometimes, thinking of Ivy as a scientist rather than a supervillain. She supposed the two went hand in hand, but she also knew that Pamela had been a scientist long before she was Poison Ivy, same as Selina was a thief. Now they were nationally recognized villains- a grotesque sort of celebrity that normal citizens used as representations of a walk on the wild side. Selina fleetingly wondered how Gotham Sirens related merchandise would sell after she, Ivy and Harley’s untimely deaths. Selina remembered how mortified she’d been the first time she spotted a stuffed animal in Catwoman’s likeness. Not long after, she was browsing the television channels late at night and happened upon a pornographic film entitled “Poison Knights” in which a far less attractive Poison Ivy was “punished” by a much less muscular Batman for her “cruel, horrible, dirty deeds.” Catwoman had never been so turned off in her life. However, it did offer some perspective for how much worse her stuffed animal could have been.

Being a costumed villain meant learning to live with the caricatures that people assigned you. Ivy was, of course, the amoral temptress and sex-fiend who pranced around in her revealing leotard in an offering to every man in town, hoping to find the one that could fuck the evil out of her. She wouldn’t like it, but she’d take that cock in spite of herself. Catwoman spat, prompting a raised eyebrow from the actual Ivy who sat across the room from her. The real Pamela Isley was a literal genius- her intellect at times too vast for her own good. She was poised, graceful, elegant and maternal. Oh, and not to mention a lesbian. One who certainly wouldn’t be scared straight anytime soon.

Selina’s Catwoman was more often than not portrayed as some love-sick kitten, robbing jewelry stores solely for the purpose of attracting Batman’s attention. In reality, though, Catwoman had planned and executed more elaborate heists than any thief in the country. She was a brilliant strategist and had likely stolen more rare treasures than the majority of people even knew were housed in their cities. She and Batman had a mutual respect that stemmed from the heartbreak of their, at times, similar upbringings and an admiration for each other’s physical and mental prowess. She certainly wasn’t desperate for Bruce’s attention. She got it when she wanted it and left it alone otherwise, just like he did for her.

Harley liked being abused by The Joker, according to those most unqualified to speak on the matter. And what extraordinary bullshit that was. Harley stayed with him in spite of the physical abuse, not because of it. At the beginning, she had obviously assumed she could fix The Joker. She saw a broken psyche and thought that she could somehow make him whole again. But Joker was sicker than she could have ever expected and had broken her before she even had a chance to realize she was slipping. Once a promising young psychiatrist, she was reduced to Joker’s personal punching bag. So now she was- evidently- some sexual sadist who liked being abused as much as she liked holding up banks or serving as Joker’s getaway driver.

That’s what everyone at home would be thinking as they watched the three women march to their deaths. Well that and “do you think they’ve ever had a three-way?”

“Honestly, Selina. What are you scowling about?” Ivy asked as she began to carefully pour the water into the open top of the apple, followed by a few drops of her blood. The heat was clearly getting to her now as she tried to wipe the red hair that was stuck to her forehead away from her eyes. The forehead in question was beaded with sweat and the rest of her appeared generally damp.

“Nothing.” Selina grumbled. “It’s just hot and I’m done with all this bullshit already.”

“Perhaps you should have gone with Harley.” Ivy suggested as she smoothed two thin leaves around the lip of the apple’s opening, replacing the top of the fruit and pressing it down to secure it onto the sappy leaves she’d just placed there. One down, 15 to go.

“Not dressed like this, I shouldn’t have.” Selina was referring to the covering of vines that slithered around her form. “Remind me how you’re going to get all those bodily fluids out of my suit?”

“Firstly, please don’t ever say ‘bodily fluids’ again.” Ivy implored as she began constructing the next weaponized apple. “I’m going to wring it out, to answer your question.” Selina gagged. “Oh, stop it.” Ivy waved her off. “No need to be childish.”

“You know…” Catwoman began as she finally heard Harley grabbing onto the vine below them. “The grossest part of this whole thing is that you don’t even stink. You look like shit, but you don’t smell like it. Is that another one of your superpowers?”

“I paid a rather significant price, Cat. Just remember that.” Ivy’s expression, which had brightened slightly upon Harley’s return, quickly fell as she saw the jester’s drooping frown. “What’s wrong?” She asked.

“Look, Red…I’m real sorry, OK? I swear I didn’t mean ta.” Harley’s words spilled forth quickly.

Although Ivy had begun the exchange with concern, she was quickly shifting to suspicion. “What happened?”

“I…uh…” Harley faltered when she saw that Selina was equally unamused. “I was runnin’ back cuz I missed ya so much and I…uh…I tripped and…” She gulped.

“And?” Selina prompted.

“I lost the spile.” Harley finally admitted.

“You what?” Catwoman shot up. “Harley! That was our only access to water!”

Ivy just closed her eyes in a reaction that Catwoman was all too familiar with. Ivy would attempt to reel in her temper by shutting out the world and taking deep breaths, but it usually ended in her blowing up just the same. “Harley…” she started, her hands clamping down on her thighs. “You’re kidding, right? This is just a stupid joke?”

“Umm…nuh uh, Red.” Harley was shaking her head even though Ivy couldn’t see. “I tripped and I lost it in a bush. I’m so so sorry.” The blonde wisely kept her distance from the other woman. “Are ya…are ya mad at me cuz I messed up? Gah! I’m such a screw up, ain’t I? That’s what Mistah J says too. I guess I’m just a no good, good for nothing…”

“Don’t say that, Harley.” The frustration was still evident in Ivy’s body language, but her tone was even.

“Wait a minute, Pam. She may have just killed herself and me.” Selina argued. “Are you seriously just letting her off the hook?” 

“We were headed to the lake anyway.” Ivy reminded her.

“I didn’t mean it, Kitty. Honest!” Harley piggy backed.

Catwoman pinched the bridge of her nose. “I know you didn’t mean it, Harley, but in this heat we’re going to need a lot more water than usual.”

“Then maybe we should leave soona.” Harley suggested. “How bout’ we leave tanight instead?”

“Because Ivy hasn’t finished with the preparations!” Catwoman was exasperated.

“Well I bet if we help, it’ll make everything go a lot fasta. Whaddya say, Red?” She plopped down next to Ivy and danced her fingers up the arm of the black latex suit.

“I say that neither of you are chemists.” Ivy told her bluntly, batting her hand away.

“I went ta med school and Kitty’s got sneaky fingers from all the stealin’ she does. We got this, Red. Don’t you worry.” She smiled earnestly and Ivy had no choice but to oblige given the predicament the jester had put them in.


	10. Chapter 10

The women waited until it was sufficiently dark before venturing down out of their treehouse and beginning their 8-mile journey towards the lake. Ivy stroked the tree fondly before somewhat reluctantly leaving it behind in favor of the dark forest that lay ahead. She led the way because the plants helped her keep to the correct path. Harley followed closely behind, occasionally clutching Ivy's hand as the redhead deftly avoided the roots and bushes that littered the terrain. Catwoman brought up the rear, her head on a constant swivel to make sure no evil lurked in the darkness around them. Ivy had assured her that the closest presence she felt was at least another 6 miles from their position, but Catwoman remained alert anyway.

It took them only 10 minutes to leave the thickest part of the forest. They were passing Ivy's apple orchard now, and Catwoman picked three of the safe ones in case any of them got hungry as the night wore on. Selina was honestly impressed with Harley for staying silent for so long. To say it was out of character would be an understatement. The blonde hung onto the redhead in front of her like they were tethered by a short rope, carrying Ivy's shovel over her shoulder. Harley's weapon of choice had- of course- been her giant mallet, but Ivy convinced her that the metal shovel could be just as useful in combat and was infinitely more applicable to their other tasks. In an honestly surprising outcome, Ivy had appealed to Harley's common sense and reasonable mind, so she carried the shovel proudly, boasting that she could kill anybody with anything. Selina doubted that very much, but if it meant having another tool at their disposal, she was happy to play along.

Catwoman spotted a camera perched on a tree and silently pointed it out to Ivy who studied it for a moment before pressing forward. The cameras came equipped with a night vision mode so that viewers could enjoy watching their favorite villains be brutally murdered in their sleep as well as in the daylight. Gotta love modern technology. Harley gave it a big wave, prompting a pinch on the arm by Ivy. Harley pouted for a moment before her face was once again taken over by a smile and she flipped off the camera instead. Ivy couldn't bring herself to punish the jester for that one.

Pamela's pace began to slow around mile three, and mile four seemed to take them as long as one and two put together. All three women were in good- even great- cardiovascular shape, but 95-degree heat and no water proved to be the great equalizer. Ivy took a moment to collect herself and lean against a tree trunk and as she did so, Harley flopped lazily onto the ground. Catwoman did the same, although not as animatedly. She was beginning to wish Ivy hadn't returned her suit.

"I think this is as far as we should go tonight." Ivy proposed to the group. "Encroaching any further upon the lake when we're this tired doesn't seem wise. I'm not sure about you two, but I'm not exactly feeling motivated to embark on further physical exertion tonight, especially against more well-rested foes."

"Oh my god!" Catwoman complained, her voice a harsh whisper. "We get it, you're a doctor. The superfluous vocabulary is really starting to piss me off. Just say you're tired and let's sleep." The heat was clearly getting to her.

"I don't know, Kitty. 'Superfluous' is a pretty nifty word…" Harley lulled her head to wink at the other woman. "So is 'hypocrite.'"

"We'll have to sleep in the open air." Ivy told them, looking up into the bows of the tree above her and ignoring Harley and Selina's conversation. "It would be morning by the time I finished a shelter and I'm not familiar with this area enough to feel comfortable sleeping in the daylight."

"So we gonna sleep down here like a camp out, Red?" Harley asked, sitting up quickly with excitement.

"No." Ivy shook her head. "The safest bet is still to sleep in the trees. We'll just need to find one with thick enough branches."

"You calling me fat?" Selina sat up too.

Ivy narrowed her eyes at the woman. "Selina, that doesn't even make any sense."

"I'm too tired to be witty." The brunette sighed.

"As am I." Ivy conceded. "There." She pointed to a large tree about 50 feet away from them.

Harley groaned. "I'm too tired."

"The sooner you get in bed; the sooner you can get to bed." Ivy reminded her as she helped the girl up from her sprawled position.

"Nothing sexier than your girlfriend talking to you like a child, huh, Harley?" Selina chuckled, pulling herself up off the ground only to be pushed back down by Harley's strong arms.

"Mean kitties don't get to sleep on the bed." The blonde told her matter-of-factly, her arms crossed.

"Harley, Darling…" Ivy began, her shoulders relaxing slightly at Harley not denying their relationship status. "She may be crude, but I don't exactly want her dead. Not yet, anyway." She said pointedly, glaring once more at Selina.

Ivy asked the tree to bend its branches in order to make scaling it easier. She let Harley and Selina go first and then pulled herself up, whispering "thank you" to the tree before righting its branches once more. Selina put her back up against the trunk (the only way to sleep being upright) and closed her eyes. She was too tired not to trust that Ivy would keep watch and so she drifted off into a somewhat restless slumber but was awoken sometime later by Harley's attempt at a whisper.

"Red?" Harley ventured, her voice slightly shaky.

Catwoman opened one eye to observe the two on the branch just to her left. Ivy's back was to the tree like Selina's and Harley was wrapped in her arms using her as a sort of "human" bean bag chair. Ivy's eyes were closed while Harley's were wide open.

"Red?" She tried again with more urgency.

"Yeah, Harl?" Ivy answered groggily without opening her eyes.

Harley glanced over at Selina and the brunette quickly shut her eye. Satisfied that she and Ivy were alone, Harley continued. "I'm scared."

Catwoman dared to once again peak through her lashes and watch as Ivy's thumb idly stroked at the skin visible through the tattered remains of Harley's costume. "I know you are." Ivy said.

Harley twisted around slightly so they were momentarily face to face. "Are you scared, Red?"

Ivy was quiet for a moment, searching for something in the expanse of Harley's sky blue eyes. Silently, she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the blonde's forehead. "I love you, Harley." She whispered, her lips moving against the girl's smooth skin.

Selina tensed when she heard that. She briefly wished she hadn't been snooping, and then, when she realized she didn't exactly have a choice in the matter, she wondered how long it had been since a human being had heard those three words from Poison Ivy.

Evidently content with the utterance, Harley faced forward once more and pulled Ivy's arms tighter around her. "Sometimes, when I got scared at night…" Harley began, her voice a true whisper now. "My mama used to sing ta me."

"I'm not your mom, Harley." Ivy reminded her with what Catwoman thought was an impressive degree of gentleness.

"Yeah, I know, Red." Harley mumbled, exhaustion thick in her voice. "But you're warm like mama was."

For a moment, the only sound in the forest was of the leaves rustling in the slight breeze. Then Pamela softly cleared her throat and began.

Wall-flowers, wall-flowers,

Growin' up so high,

Neither me nor my baby

Shall ever wish to die,

-Ivy sang with a haunting tone and cadence that made Selina's chest ache. She clamped her eyes shut as the words echoed in her head.-

Especially Harley,

she's the prettiest flower.

She can dance, and she can sing,

and she can tell the hour,

With her croí agus aign

She is my Harley flower

Selina was too late to stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. She knew that song…well, one version of it anyway. It was an Irish children's song that the only father she ever knew had sung to her, using her name instead of Harley's, of course, but she was moved by it now just the same. All these years later, she still clung to that expression of affection like a lifeline. Hearing that song now…Selina had never felt so alone.


	11. Chapter 11

Oracle bit the inside of her cheek- hard- to keep herself awake as she watched the Sirens through the eerie green light of the night vision cameras. It was the public’s first look at Poison Ivy in months and given her reason for not already being declared a winner, Oracle wasn’t about to miss a single moment.

Barbara had seen Catwoman and Ivy fall asleep rather quickly, leaving only Harley, wide awake and wrapped in Ivy’s arms. Barbara hated to admit it, but she felt bad for the girl- err, Woman. She kept having to remind herself that Harley was a very adult 32 years old, despite her very clear regression in mental capacity since Joker got his hooks into her as a 26-year-old psychiatrist. She was speaking now, but not quite loudly enough for the former Batgirl to make out individual words so she boosted the speakers in the area and Harley’s voice came through loud and clear to both she and the viewers at home.

“Red?” The jester was saying, evidently  
trying to get Ivy’s attention. It didn’t work the first time, so she tried again. “Red?”

Catwoman was awake, Barbara could tell by how her breathing patterns shifted. Her chest didn’t rise and fall with as peaceful a rhythm. And now Ivy was awake and she was comforting Harley in a way that made Barbara oddly jealous at the present lack of love in her life- something she had rarely cared about previously.

Right on cue, Ivy said the words. “I love you, Harley.” And there was absolutely nothing friendly about it. She wasn’t reminding her sister or best friend that she loved her…It was an admission that seemed to lift a great weight off of her shoulders. She pressed her lips to Harley’s forehead and held them there like she never wanted to let go. Her saying that was the bravest possible response to Harley’s question- “are you scared, Red?” because Ivy had clearly been scared for a very long time. Barbara almost laughed trying to think of a worse setting for your coming out party.

Oracle’s phone lit up with a tweet. She had written a code that enabled her to view and filter every tweet and internet mention regarding the arena and its occupants. This one was from a man in National City and read “Umm…I think Gotham might be overselling their villains. #PoisonIvy just seems like a hot chick who loves plants and that clown lady.” Barbara smiled almost sadly as she read it. If only it were that simple.

Her ears pricked up and her attention returned to the monitor when Ivy began to sing. The sound wove its way through the speakers with a haunting melody, taking up root in the pit of Barbara’s stomach. Catwoman’s breathing pattern changed again and when Barbara zoomed in, she found that the thief was crying.

Oracle’s phone began to vibrate violently on the desk with a sudden influx of attention, and that’s when she realized they might be in trouble.

“Just when you think you could live with the poisoning side effects; you realize you’ll never have a chance with #PoisonIvy”

“Isn’t #HarleyQuinn with Joker? Isn’t that like her whole deal?”

“I know it would be ethical to take down my #GothamSirens pin up calendar, but in light of recent events, I think they may have gotten hotter”

“Joker, Poison Ivy…am I going to have to kill someone to get #HarleyQuinn ‘s attention?”

“Sitting on my couch alone at 3am bawling because #Catwoman ‘s crying. What is my life?”

“know they have to kill each other, are still like “I <3 u”. #RelationshipGoals #HarleyandIvy”

“Wait, #HarleyQuinn lets Joker fuck her when she could be fucking #PoisonIvy ? I guess she really is crazy #smh”

“Hate to point out the obvious, but the flower arrangements at their wedding would be DOOOOOPPPPE. #HarleyandIvy #RelationshipGoals”

“*#Catwoman hooks up w/ Batman. Doesn’t call him. Bats throws hissy fit. Sends her to arena.* Sounds about right.”

“OK, but seriously, you guys? #GirlPower Also, can I book #PoisonIvy for a private concert?”

“#Catwoman like #ThirdWheeling so hard.” And then the follow up, “Can someone make a meme outta how hard #Catwoman be #ThirdWheeling right now?”

“Impending doom sucks, but if they wanted to go out with a “bang”, I certainly wouldn’t object #GothamSirens”

"Lol. Did #PoisonIvy just get mom-zoned?"

“Why do I feel like the #JusticeLeague are the assholes now? #GirlPower”

“Cats like fish too, right? #GothamSirens”

“Look, I love my husband, but if #PoisonIvy said I <3 u like that to me, I’d leave the poor bastard in a heartbeat.”

“YOU TREAT HER RIGHT #HarleyQuinn YOU TREAT HER RIGHT!”

Barbara had to stop scrolling when a call came in. It was Supergirl’s caller-ID flashing on the screen.

“Are you seeing this?” Kara asked as soon as Barbara picked up. “Girl power, Gotham Sirens, relationship goals, Harley, Ivy and Catwoman are all trending.”

“Just nationally.” Barbara assured her. “And probably just because it’s either the middle of the night here or very early morning and there’s nothing else to talk about. It will blow over.”

“I don’t know, Babs…Ms. Grant called me in at 4am to get a jump on this. She’s running it on the front page.”

“What the love story thing? Come on, that couldn’t be any more cliché.”

“Well that with an independent woman against the system slant.”

“You have got to be kidding me.” Barbara groaned. “This is not going to go over well.”

“Well…” Supergirl began apprehensively. “It sends a pretty clear message, Barbara. That villains can evolve. Isn’t Ivy’s whole thing that she hates humans? She just admitted she loves one of them, and she’s protecting Catwoman too.”

“God…” Oracle sighed. “We look like huge assholes, don’t we?”

“Yeah.” Supergirl said solemnly. “Yeah we do. I mean, look, I was for the arena at the beginning. What happened to Lois…a little retaliation was necessary…but doing away with the rehabilitation option altogether…I think it was a mistake.”

“Are you going to tell your cousin that?”

Supergirl hesitated on the other end of the line. “I don’t know. We’ll see where this whole thing goes. I’ll talk to you later, alright?”

“Alright.” Oracle affirmed, hanging up the phone. “Shit.” She said aloud to her empty control room. “I specifically said not to select them together. Of course they didn’t listen. Who would listen to the girl in the wheelchair?” She snatched her phone back up off the counter and navigated to her own ‘Barbara Gordon’ twitter account. ‘Fuck this.’ She thought as she began to type. “Unlike his actual size, Joker is a huge prick. I should know. #TeamIvy all day” …and then the retweet notifications began to roll in. This was going to be a long night.


	12. Chapter 12

She’s gone.

Pamela’s eyes snapped open. Sunlight was just beginning to seep past the canopy of green and cut through the stagnant heat of the morning. Catwoman was still asleep, her back slumped against the tree and her neck craning uncomfortably so her head could rest on her shoulder. But Harley was gone. Ivy’s chest felt cold without her warmth.

“Harley.” She whispered, first looking in the branches below and above her. “Harley.” She pulled herself to her feet, ignoring the pins and needles in her legs and feet. This vantage point wasn’t doing Ivy any favors, so she dropped down to the branch below her. “Harley.” She called again as Catwoman began to stir.

“Ivy, what’s going on?” Selina groaned.

The branch brought the redhead 8 feet above the ground, but she couldn’t wait, electing to jump down the rest of the way. She landed softly, rolling to avoid injury to her knees. “Harley!” Ivy was shouting now.

“Ivy! Shh!” Catwoman was attempting to quiet her. It was morning now. The other selections would be on the move as well.

Pamela spun around. “Selina! Harley’s gone!”

“Geez, Red.” The harlequin’s high pitched voice brought Ivy to once again face away from the tree. “Wake up the whole neighborhood, why don’t’cha?”

“Harley…” Ivy breathed, her face relaxing for a moment before her eyes lit with anger. “Where the hell were you?!”

“Ah, come on, Red.” Harley smiled, trying to calm the redhead down. “I had some, uh, personal business to attend to.”

“Personal business?” Ivy spat. “What possible business could you have in the middle of a forest at 6 o’clock in the morning?”

The blonde frowned, clearly unamused with the other woman’s tone. “I had ta go pee, Red. I don’t know how plants work, but us ‘meat sacks’ usually gotta relieve our bladders when they’re full.”

Ivy’s heart beat angrily in her chest. “What did I say about the buddy system, Harl? What did I say?”

“Ta always use it.” Harley repeated the mantra. “I didn’t know ya meant like…ALL the time.”

It took every ounce of restraint Ivy had not to scream at the top of her lungs. “Goddamn it, Harley. You’re a doctor! What does the word ‘always’ mean to you?”

Harley’s face grew red. She tore her eyes away from the fuming Poison Ivy to get Catwoman on her side. “Kitty! Pammy wants me ta take a babysitter when I pee.”

Catwoman was working her way down the trunk and dropped to the ground. “I’m on Ivy’s side with this one, Harley. You should have at least told us where you were going.”

“But I came back!” Harley protested.

Selina sighed and squeezed Ivy’s hand as a show of moral support and a request that she chill out. “Harley, do you think you could put yourself in Ivy’s shoes for a second?”

“She ain’t wearin’ shoes, Kitty.” Harley pointed out, gesturing to the redhead’s pale green feet.

“Look.” Selina grabbed the blonde by the shoulders and regarded her sternly. “Now I love you, Harley. We both do.” She included Ivy. “In different ways, obviously, but I still care about you.” Ivy blushed while Harley looked at her oddly. Oh, right. She was supposed to be asleep... “Anyway,” Selina continued. “I know that you have a lot of problems, I mean…we all do, but yours are…special, and I know you don’t mean to do or say some things you, well…do or say, but Ivy and I are really going to need you to focus, alright? We’re your team, and right now…you’re not acting like a team player.”

“W-whaddya mean?” Harley was clearly hurt by the insinuation. “You guys are my best girlfriends. I’m always a team player.”

Catwoman released the blonde’s shoulders. “Not if you’re giving Ivy a heart attack, you’re not.”

“But, Red…” Harley turned back to face Ivy, a tone deaf smile on her face. “I’d never leave ya.”

Ivy drew her mouth into a hard line to keep her lip from quivering. “Yes you would, Harley.”

Selina hoped Ivy’s words would sink in, but somehow she doubted they would. The brunette adjusted the pack on her shoulders and buckled it around her waist to give it time. When she was done, Harley was still staring at Ivy with her head cocked to the side. Selina could almost hear the gears turning in her head. “Where are we headed?” the brunette prompted, pulling Ivy out of her downward spiral.

Pamela’s tone was measured. “There is someone in the forest roughly 3 miles to our north.”

“The fast one or the stagnant one?”

“The stagnant one.” Ivy told her, grabbing the shovel from where it lay up against the tree and handing it to Harley.

/

“Estimated intersect with Bane, 1 hour, 45 minutes.” Oracle announced, although she hardly had a captive audience. Green Arrow was sitting in the chair next to her, his feet up on the dash, chuckling to himself as he scrolled through his twitter feed.

“I’m sorry.” He glanced at her quickly. “Have you read these? Some of them are hilarious.”

“Yes, I have read them.” Barbara was curt.

“Listen to this one.” Oliver ignored her. “How much you wanna bet #Catwoman treats sex like a competition?” He laughed and looked over at Oracle, who rolled her eyes and grabbed her phone off the table.

“You’re going to ruin the punchlines…” she mumbled as she refreshed her feed.

“Damn, dude. Mom-zoned is the worst kind of zoned. Sorry, #PoisonIvy”

“#Catwoman be like ‘white people.’ #smh”

“Where can I get a girl band poster of the #GothamSirens ? Would give my left nut to see them in white denim.”

“Can we make fem fatales like #PoisonIvy cool again? I like to be aroused when I’m frightened.”

Barbara cracked a smile and forwarded that one to Tim Drake.

“Marry, fuck, kill #GothamSirens trick question, #PoisonIvy would murder all ur dumb asses.”

“Wonder what #Catwoman stole to land her in this shit. Must have been…Batman’s heart.”

The former Batgirl retweeted that one on her personal account.

“How long until we can start calling #HarleyandIvy gay icons? Does being mass murderers disqualify them?”

“Why do I feel like #PoisonIvy ‘s the top?”

“I’d put money on it.” Barbara replied. She set her phone a side for a moment and toggled the camera so she could see Bane on the large monitor. He was still asleep, so she went back to her feed.

“I wanna hear one of the #GothamSirens say ‘bitches get stuff done’ at least once.”

“I feel like #HarleyQuinn ‘s into some nasty shit but #PoisonIvy only fucks to Mozart.”

Barbara chuckled, glancing over her shoulder before retweeting that one as well. Upon closer examination, she found that the hashtag “FucksTo” had begun to trend as well.

“Catwoman #FucksTo Smooth Criminal.”

“Poison Ivy #FucksTo Welcome to the Jungle”

Oracle smiled and began to compose one herself. “Harley Quinn #FucksTo the Scooby Doo theme song.” Three seconds later, she heard Green Arrow chuckle again.

“You think so?” He asked.

She didn’t respond, just shrugged and returned her attention to the arena display. Cheetah had yet to start her daily lap around the forest, so Barbara checked up on her. She was in her human form, sitting with her back against a tree, absently running her fingers through her copper toned hair.

“Could you give me a moment, Arrow?” Barbara asked politely. “I promised my mom I’d give her a call.”

“Sure.” Oliver nodded, getting up from his chair. “I was going to grab some food anyway. Are you hungry?”

“No.” Barbara smiled. “But thank you.” She waited until he had closed the door behind him before dialing Supergirl. “I just mom-zoned you.” Barbara told her once she’d answered.

“So I guess that’s catching on?” Kara asked.

“Unfortunately.” Barbara sighed. “Your guys’ cover story is getting a lot of traction online.” The former Batgirl split one of her screens and pulled up the online version of the article in question which boasted a photo of Harley and Ivy in the forehead-kiss moment.

“I saw Justice League started trending too…” Kara offered hopefully.

“According to my algorithm, 47% of those tweets are casting the Justice League in a negative light.”

“Shit.” Supergirl groaned. “I know this makes me horrible…but could I have that quote? Cat’s going to want it.”

Barbara sighed. “Knock yourself out. Just remember you didn’t hear it from me.” The former Batgirl took a moment to think. “You can also tell Cat that all the selections seem pretty disinterested this year. These are all famous villains, and no one wants to play the game. Even Joker decided to play smart this time around. I haven’t had eyes on him since they dropped Harley in.”

“Are we going to see a fight today?” Kara asked.

“1 hour, 30 minutes until the Sirens find Bane.”

“Well…if he kills Catwoman, maybe I won’t have to talk to Clark. Maybe Batman will do it for me.”


	13. Chapter 13

This time, as the Sirens made their way through the forest, both Catwoman and Harley gave Ivy a comfortable lead. Harley kept stumbling because she wouldn’t let her focus drop from Pam’s back even to look where she was going. Under normal circumstances, Selina might have been marginally interested in this exchange since she very firmly believed Ivy was a better option for Harley than The Joker was, and a professionally and personally fulfilled Poison Ivy was better for everyone…but these circumstances were anything but normal, and presently, Selina was about ready to punch Harley if she tripped over another root. To be fair, whatever was going on between Harley and Ivy had almost successfully distracted her from the rather brutal demise of her only romantic entanglement, so Selina supposed she couldn’t complain too much…

“Hey, Kitty?” Harley ventured at a volume she was sure Ivy couldn’t hear.

“I swear to God, Harley, if you ask me ‘are we there yet’ again…”

“Nuh uh.” Harley shook her head, keeping pace with the cat burglar. “I just had a question…about what you said earlier?”

“The buddy system is for your own safety…” Selina began to explain before Harley cut her off.

“No. You said you an’ Red loved me in different ways. What did ya, uh…what did ya mean by that?”

Selina glanced over at the other woman, her brow furrowed. “Well, like, I’m your friend, but Ivy’s your…girlfriend.”

Harley pulled on a similar questioning expression. “But you guys are both my girlfriends. You’re my best girlfriends. Wait…” the jester looked over at Catwoman, her eyes large with worry. “Do ya not love me as much cuz Red’s my BFF and you’re just my BF?”

Now it was Selina’s turn to stumble over a root. “Goddamn it!” she cursed, prompting Ivy to glance back over her shoulder.

“Careful.” The redhead told them. “The terrain through here is rather uneven.”

“Yeah, no shit, Sherlock!” Selina volleyed back. She waited until Ivy was facing forward again before continuing with Harley. “I don’t love you as much because I’m not in a romantic relationship with you.”

“Oh…” Something seemed to click for Harley. A look of relief washed over her and she smiled. “You mean cuz I kiss Red n’ we have grown-up sleepovers n’ stuff.”

“Right.” Selina nodded before it struck her how strange the nonchalant tone Harley had used was, and ‘adult sleepovers’? Could she really be that childish? “Wait, Harley…do you not consider you and Ivy’s relationship to be romantic?”

“What?” The blonde looked legitimately surprised as a blush spread through her cheeks. “No way! Mistah J’s my fella. Red’s jus my special friend.” She winked.

Oh, God…and Catwoman thought this was a shit show before. “You mean Ivy never does anything romantic for you?”

Harley giggled and knocked Selina lightly in the shoulder. “Well sure! Red’s real romantic. She made these special flowers for me that have these cute little yella petals that look like my pigtails. Ain’t that cool? She calls em’ her Harlequins and she figured out how ta make em’ with all her sciency stuff.”

Selina was going to stop her there, but the blonde continued to happily gush about the “friendly” nature of Poison Ivy.

“N’ even though she don’t really eat all that much cuz’a the plant stuff she makes me yummy breakfast in the mornins and she always lets me eat it in bed and even when I spill and it n’ get everythin’ all sticky she don’t hit me she just sighs real loud and only yells at me when Bud and Lou rip up er’ flowers.”

Catwoman again tried to interrupt her, but the attempt fell on deaf ears.

“N’ she puts roses on my pillows so they smell real nice when I go to sleep n’ she makes me this fancy shampoo so my hair always smells like flowers cuz that’s how she smells n’ I like the way she smells. She’s a real good kisser too, you know, and she gave me that special potion so her kisses don’t hurt me and she never hurts me otherwise. Like, sometimes Mistah J. can play sorta rough and I tell im’ to stop and sometimes he don’t stop but Red…” her smile widened and she began to sway dreamily. “Red makes me feel real good and she whispers things when she’s doin’ it like how pretty I am n’ how she knows I’m smart even though I pretend like I’m not. N’ afterwards she lets me choose if I wanna be the little spoon or the big spoon cuz sometimes I like that she makes me feel safe and sometimes I wanna help her feel safe. It’s nice cuz I know she’s strong n’ real pretty n’ like a genius n’ she could prolly have grown-up sleepovers with anybody but she chooses me! N’—“ Harley was cut off when Selina cuffed her upside the head. “Hey!” The blonde complained, rubbing her skull where it now throbbed. “What was that for?”

“Jesus, Harley. Wake up!” Catwoman was now struggling to keep her voice at a volume that Ivy couldn’t hear. “Weren’t you a psychiatrist? What the hell is your problem? You just described a more romantic relationship then I’ve ever had!”

“Huh?” Harley furrowed her brow. “No. I got a romantic relationship with Mistah J. Red don’t love me like that.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Selina almost laughed at Harley’s stupidity. “Joker is an abusive prick and it sounds like Ivy is giving you relatively healthy alternative. You did hear her last night, right?”

“You mean when she…” Harley blushed the color of Ivy’s hair and once again stared up the path at the other woman. “I thought that was jus’ what BFFs do. Like on TV.”

“What the fuck have you been watching, Harley? The L Word?” Selina resisted the urge to hit her again.

The blonde and the brunette nearly ran into the redhead before they realized she had stopped in the middle of the makeshift trail.

“It’s Bane.” Ivy whispered. “Bane is the stagnant selection.”

Selina’s blood ran a few degrees colder. “Well…I guess it could be worse, right?”

Ivy nodded. “It could be a lot worse, but he’s—“ She stopped when Harley leaned forward and pressed a wet kiss to her cheek. Ivy narrowed her eyes at the girl. “Was that an apology?”

Harley bit her lip and nodded.

“We’re going to need a solid plan.” Catwoman brought them back to the task at hand. “Believe it or not, Bane is a brilliant strategist. He learns as he goes and is able to make adjustments mid fight. I’ve seen it.”

“He relies heavily on his venom.” Harley told them in a nearly accent-less voice. “Even though he’s still stronger than roughly 10 men without it, he is psychologically weakened because he perceives himself to be in a weaker state. No venom pack could last him this long. He’s either presently going through withdraws or he’s already through them. Either way, if we play smart and get him back peddling at the beginning, he won’t have as much time to make adjustments.”

Both Ivy and Catwoman were staring dumbly at the blonde. “Are you OK?” Selina asked.

“Jus peachy!” Harley grinned, her Gotham upbringing evident once more.


	14. Chapter 14

“I want to send a message to Selina.”

If Oracle could jump, she’d have hit her head on the ceiling. “Bruce, the sneaky stuff was fun when I was Batgirl, but now I’d prefer a curtesy knock, thanks.”

“I need to get a message to Selina.” He repeated, coming to stand above her. “Ivy has to subdue Bane immediately. Harley won’t be able to land a blow of any consequence using blunt force trauma. They need to—“

“Bruce.” Oracle interrupted. “I’m sure they already know that. Ivy’s fought Bane before as has Catwoman.”

“But they lost those fights.” Bruce reminded her.

“Ivy lost because she decided to get up on her high horse and start soapboxing. Catwoman lost to Bane and Killer Frost, and he was on full venom that time.” Barbara reminded him. “He’s already finished his withdraws now and the numbers are in the Sirens’ favor.”

“But Harley weakens Ivy.” Bruce argued. “Harley makes mistakes and her well-being distracts Ivy.”

“Well it’s a good thing they have Catwoman then, right?” Oracle smiled. It was clear that this was painful for Bruce, even scary. She wondered if that’s why he had allowed Catwoman to be selected. Because he was scared. In all the time she’d known him, she hadn’t ever observed Batman cower away from doing the right thing, but the world was different now. The heroes were different. They were darker. It was like a thick gray cloud hung over the Hall of Justice. “Bruce…” she ventured, seeing that he had turned his attention to the screen. “Do you feel personally responsible for Lois’ death?” He didn’t respond. He was watching the Sirens approach the edge of the forest through the trees. “Because The Joker is your villain?” she continued.

“I gave him a lot of chances.” Bruce told her, his fists clenched. “But he took away someone Clark loved.”

“So you’re sacrificing Selina?” Barbara asked.

Bruce was silent again.

“Would you ever kill Selina?” Oracle asked.

“No.” He answered quickly, without a moment’s hesitation.

“Mmm.” Oracle nodded slowly and returned her attention to the monitor. The Sirens were only a quarter mile away now. “I can’t imagine Ivy would ever kill Harley either. But I guess that’s the difference between heroes and villains now, right? A hero wouldn’t be forced to.”

“I guess.” Bruce echoed icily.

/

“There.” Ivy pointed through the trees to the edge of the clearing. “Do you see him?”

Selina nodded. “Where’s he headed?”

“The lake ain’t too far outta the trees.” Harley whispered. “He’s prolly thirsty.”

“But, Pam, you’re going to want the home field advantage right?” Catwoman turned to the redhead. “So we have to draw him back into the trees.”

“No.” Ivy shook her head. “I don’t want him to work up any momentum and we can’t give him time to decide on a strategy.”

“So…ambush, then?” Harley was wearing her most maniacal grin.

Ivy nodded. “We’ll hide in the trees at the edge of the clearing and pounce when he returns from the lake.”

“Pounce. That’s my word.” Catwoman grumbled.

Pamela ignored her. “I’m just going to need a few moments to speak with the root systems.”

“Then let’s go!” Harley sprung up from her crouched position and lept to the next branch, leading the charge for the remaining distance until they stood, obscured by the thick leaves, at the edge of the clearing.

Ivy waited until she saw Bane lean down to drink before dropping to the ground behind the tree that held the others. She pressed her hands into the cool grass and asked for assistance.

Harley hooked her leg onto a branch and swung down to hang above Ivy. “He’s comin’ back, Red.”

“Just give me a second.” Ivy shut her eyes in an attempt to speed up the connection.

“Ivy! Let’s go!” Catwoman’s harsh whisper carried down to the ground. Ivy somewhat reluctantly drew to her feet and was met with Harley’s upside-down face.

“You ready?” The blonde asked, her smile looking like a droopy frown from this vantage point.

Ivy nodded. “Let’s go.”

Harley giggled and began to pull herself back up on the branch, but then flopped downwards again. “Wait, Red, can I get a Spider-Man kiss?”

“Harley, I would love it if you’d take this life and death situation seriously.” Ivy pleaded. “And I don’t even know what that is.”

“Hmph.” The jester pouted.

Ivy put her hands on the girl’s shoulders and pushed her upwards, giving Harley a running start at the sit up. The redhead climbed up the tree after her, both joining Catwoman back on the branch. The brunette had the back pack open and was arming herself with apples.

“So we’re just…throwing these, right?” Selina asked as she handed two to Harley.

Ivy nodded and the three settled in, their hearts beating faster than each would have liked to admit.

The closer Bane got, the larger he looked. The green would cooperate, Ivy knew it would, but she wished she’d had more time, that way she could have defeated him herself rather than needing Catwoman and Harley. She wasn’t opposed to teamwork, but found the practice of relying on others to be tedious.

Bane was within range now, and Catwoman cocked her arm, mumbling something about ‘fucking apples’ as the target drew closer.

“Now.” Ivy whispered.

Selina launched the apple and it began a perfect trajectory towards Bane’s head. Ivy kept her fist closed as it sailed through the air. At the last possible second before impact, she unfurled her fingers and the apple reacted, the top popping off and the poison within splashing over Bane’s face. He was clearly surprised, stumbling back a few feet as he moved to wipe the liquid off. He was hit by two more in rapid succession, these ones hitting him in the chest and shoulder.

“WHO’S OUT THERE?!” Bane bellowed.

Ivy smirked. She knew it would only be a moment, and as that thought crossed her mind, Bane’s skin began to smoke

“AHHH!” He yelled, clawing at himself as the smell of burning skin reached his nostrils.

While he was distracted, Ivy thrust her hand forward and a series of thick roots erupted from the ground, coiling themselves around his arms and legs, and then a larger one around his neck. Ivy made a forceful downward motion and the root brought Bane into a kneeling position.

“POISON IVYYYYY!” He thrashed violently.

“Go.” Ivy nodded to Catwoman and Harley, who dropped out of the tree. Harley grabbed her shovel and Catwoman her whip.

“He’ll use his teeth.” Ivy warned as she followed them across the short distance to where Bane was kneeling, subdued.

“YOU COWARD!” He spat. “YOU—“

Catwoman cracked her whip and it cut through his leather mask, exposing his eye. She came again, and this time is sliced right through his iris. He yowled and in a violent response to pain, ripped his left arm free of the restraints and clubbed Catwoman with the back of his hand, sending her flying into a tree trunk 10 feet away. In the moment that Ivy was distracted, the roots loosened slightly and his other arm came free as well.

“Uh oh!” Harley giggled uneasily. “I think he’s mad, Red.”

Bane lunged forward, grabbing Harley by the neck and lifting her off the ground. “I WILL CRUSH YOU!”

Ivy reacted quickly, sending another root to wrap around Bane’s torso and dragging him down onto his back. Harley dropped from his grip and gasped on the ground as the roots moved to again restrain his arms and kicking legs. Ivy did away with her usually lackadaisically seductive pace and hurriedly moved on top of him, ripping the remainder of his mask off and ignoring the crime scene that was his right eyeball as she held his face between her hands and kissed him. He landed one solid kick with his leg, coming down with the heel of his boot on Ivy’s ankle. She hissed with pain, but never broke the seal of their lips. Ivy didn’t dare use her tongue, even though she knew that would speed up the process. His teeth were sharp and he was hardly enthralled with her at the moment. The pheromones she was wearing were strong, though, she’d doused herself in her own sweat in preparation for the battle. It wasn’t long until Bane began to relax under her. He tasted horrible, but the poison she was secreting in her saliva was so overwhelming it was making her own mouth numb. Ivy pulled away when she herself couldn’t bare it anymore. Harley stood above them, the shovel once again resting on her shoulder.

Pamela gave the girl a quick nod and Harley stabbed downward with the instrument, sticking it directly into Bane’s neck. Ivy backed up to get clear of the blood spatter, vaguely aware of her limp, as Harley repeated the motion again and again, the shovel landing with a sickening thunk each time. The redhead gave herself a moment’s respite from the gruesome scene to glance over at Catwoman, who was beginning to stir up against the tree trunk where she’d landed. Ivy breathed a sigh of relief and limped over to give her a more thorough check-up, leaving Harley to her murder.

“Selina?” Ivy knelt down beside her. “Can you hear me?”

Catwoman groaned as she opened her eyes. “Jesus, I feel like I just got hit by a truck.

“You’re lucky he was only at about a quarter of his strength.” Ivy told her, patting down her sides to check for a broken rib. When she didn’t wince, Ivy pulled her hands away and repeated the motion on her arms and legs.

“I have a headache.” Selina grumbled.

“You probably have a concussion.” Ivy sat back on her heels, wincing as she did so. “Do you remember where we are?”

“Sure.” Catwoman grimaced as she sat up straighter. “We’re in a fucking death trap.”

“Yep!” Harley confirmed from where she was still hacking away at Bane’s neck. “And we jus’ killed the big, bad Bane!” She landed another blow, but left the shovel sticking up in his neck this time. “Red, I don’t think I’m gonna be able ta get all the way through it. He’s too muscly.”

“I didn’t ask you to decapitate him, Harl.” Ivy called back. “Just let him bleed out and help me get Cat over to the water.”

“OK, boss!” Harley giggled.

“You’re going in, by the way.” Ivy informed the jester once they’d made it to the water’s edge. Catwoman was kneeling down, taking long gulps of water from her cupped hands. “You’re covered in his blood, Harl. Bane was an addict, who knows what sort of toxins he had swimming around in his bloodstream.”

“But I’m *immune* to toxins, remember?” Harley slinked up close to Ivy, slowly walking her fingers up the other woman’s arm.

“Oh, well I suppose that’s true…” Ivy turned to her and placed her hands on the girl’s waist. “But I need to see how much of what’s on your neck is dirt rather than bruising.” She began to slowly lean forward and Harley closed her eyes and puckered her lips in an automatic response. “And unfortunately.” Ivy whispered. “I find the blood of my former colleagues somewhat repulsive.” With that, she placed her hand firmly in the center of the girl’s chest and pushed her back into the water.

“Can she swim?” Selina asked as Harley sputtered below the surface.

Ivy crossed her arms. “I certainly hope so…”

Harley eventually came up for air, cursing Ivy. “Pammy, that ain’t how you treat a lady!”

“Oh?” Ivy arched an eyebrow. “Something tells me you’ve seen worse.” The blonde just glared at her, her matted pig-tails drooping. She offered no verbal response. “Scrub your neck, please.” Ivy instructed.

“Why?!” Harley demanded. “Why do ya even care what’s bruise and what’s not?”

“Harley!” Catwoman snapped. “We talked about this.”

“Oh, right…” Harley’s glare instantly melted into a dreamy smile which she directed at Ivy. “You wanna come swimmin’ with me, Red?”

Selina rolled her eyes, not giving Ivy a chance to respond. “I meant about being a team player. Just listen to Pam and clean your neck.”

Harley stood up and pulled her back as straight as an arrow, then brought her hand to her forehead and gave a spirited salute. “Yes, Red! Anything you say, Red!”

“Well I could do without the sarcasm, thanks.” Ivy sneered as she turned back towards the tree line, obviously favoring her left leg.

“Hey, where you goin’?” Harley called after her.

“To start on the shelter.”


	15. Chapter 15

"I'd say their strategy was pretty effective…" Oracle glanced over at Bruce whose eyes were narrowed at the screen.

"It was Bane's body chemistry." He said. "His venom addiction made him more susceptible to Ivy's toxins. His physiology was attempting to fill a need, so it immediately incorporated the foreign material rather than fighting to expel it."

Oracle raised an eyebrow. "You're putting a qualification on their victory?"

"I'm just being realistic." Bruce grumbled. "That was too easy."

Barbara grunted, deciding he was probably right, but wishing he'd just let them have a victory for a moment without defining it. 'Damn it. Did those bitches win me over?' She tuned back in to her broadcast as Ivy pushed Harley into the lake. 'Oh God…if she gets in too twitter is going to explode.' Thankfully, Ivy didn't, she just stood on the shore next to Catwoman with her arms crossed, watching as Harley splashed around.

"She's hurt." Bruce observed as the redhead began limping up the bank back towards the tree line. "That could give Selina the advantage she needs."

"Ivy isn't Harley. I mean, I've taken more than my fair share of blows from her, but most of her skillset is separate from her physicality." Barbara told him, toggling the camera to follow Ivy to the forest's edge.

"You're right." Bruce agreed. "An ankle injury won't affect Ivy as severely as it would Harley or Selina, but the distraction of pain can still be used to her enemy's advantage. She has to communicate with the plants, after all. If she's in pain, the message can come out scrambled." Barbara mulled that over as he continued. "Couple that with the emotional handicap that is Harley Quinn, and you've got a significantly weakened Poison Ivy. If you play your cards right."

"Selina's hurt too, Bruce." Barbara pointed out. "She hit that tree hard. I'm inclined to agree with Ivy's concussion diagnosis."

"Pamela's not a medical doctor." Bruce reminded her gruffly.

"No…" Oracle agreed. "But Harley is. I bet you she'd concur if she could take a break from casting Poison Ivy as America's heartthrob for two seconds…"

Batman groaned. "Are people seriously using that word?"

"The internet is a scary place." Barbara confirmed. "And Harley basically describing their life as some sort of Nicholas Sparks novel certainly didn't help."

Bruce cleared his throat. "Do you think it's true?"

"That Ivy treats her that way?" Barbara asked. He gave a small nod. "I don't know why she'd lie. And it's not like we haven't observed an affectionate Ivy. She's that way with her flowers all the time."

"I know." Batman admitted. "But…"

"Treating a human being like that means that she in fact is- in some way, shape, or form- reforming?" Barbara attempted to finish his thought.

"Get a body-copter out there for Bane." He skipped over the other subject. "It's bad enough that we broadcasted the actual killing. We don't need children seeing that garbage. The world is violent enough as it is."

"Of course." Oracle nodded

/

The trees near the edge of the clearing were evergreens- spruce, pine and cedar. They had been fine as a high point to throw apples from, but for sleeping…Ivy wasn't so sure. The branches weren't broad enough for her to replicate the shelter she'd crafted in the oak tree.

Overhead, Ivy heard the whirring of helicopter blades. On her third day in the arena, Ivy had brutally murdered Catman by thrusting a tree branch through his chest. He deserved it…he had stumbled upon her territory…When the self-piloting body-copter came to retrieve the body, she'd brought it crashing to the ground with one of her vines instead. The Justice League had not taken kindly to that, deciding to drop three new selections in her forest. That unfortunate past experience was the only thing keeping her from doing the same to this machine. She was sure some of the parts could come in handy later facing whoever there was left to face. But instead, Ivy casually walked back over to Bane's body and pried her shovel out of the deep gash in his neck. Harley had made it further than Ivy thought she had. She could plainly see his esophagus, which meant Harley had succeeded in hacking through his trachea. The poison from her kiss had immobilized him, but it hadn't numbed his senses. Bane more than likely died a very painful death. Ivy observed his flayed neck and sliced eyeball with the cool temperament of both a world-renowned scientist and a very experienced mass murderer.

"Gaia." She sighed, turning her back as the cables reached down and dragged the body away.

"They bring any food?!" Harley asked, sprinting up the slight hill to join Ivy.

"You know that's not how it works, Harl." She called over her shoulder.

Harley caught up to her panting like a dog from running in her wet clothing in the heat. "We…" she took a few deep breaths. "We really got im', huh? Batsy's been fightin' Bane forever and he could never get im'. But we did." She grinned. "You, me n' Kitty."

"He was in a severely weakened state." Ivy reminded her as her mind began to wander into problem-solving mode.

"So are we, Red." Harley's smile was now tinged with a hint of sadness. "Is your leg OK?"

"It's fine." Ivy told her distractedly.

"Good." Harley said earnestly as she suddenly grabbed the other woman around the waist and shoved her back into a tree trunk. Ivy yelped in surprise and the tree began to bend to protect her, but Harley smashed their faces together. Her lips bruising and her tongue desperate. She was using all her weight and strength to hold Ivy in place, and for a moment, the redhead had no choice but to kiss back.

Harley eventually had to pull away in favor of oxygen, and now they were both panting.

"What was…." Ivy's nostrils flared as she attempted to catch her breath without betraying how flustered she was. "What was that for?"

"I wasn't ever…jealous before. Of you kissin' otha people. But you an' Bane looked like ya were havin' so much fun…" the jester winked.

"Sweety…" Ivy chuckled. "I was killing him."

Harley grinned. "But'cha can't kill me, Red. Because you LOOOOOVVVVVE me."

Ivy blushed with embarrassment like the daylight attached shame to the statement somehow.

The blonde couldn't help but giggle at the other woman's sudden insecurity. Harley slipped her hand from around her waist to her lower back and leaned closer, her voice softening. "So ya wanna be my girlfriend, huh, Pammie?" she pressed a gentle kiss to Ivy's cheek. "You wanna buy me dinner, n' go to the movies, n' hold hands when we're walkin'," she punctuated each activity with a kiss somewhere on Ivy's face. "You wanna make LOOOOOOOVVVE ta me, Pammie?" she giggled against the green skin of Ivy's throat and gently sucked at a spot she knew was sensitive.

"Harley!" Ivy tried to mask her gasp within the word. "We already do every one of those things."

The blonde stopped and pulled away, scrunching up her nose in thought. "Oh, yeah." The smile returned to Harley's face as she pressed her knee between Ivy's legs.

"Harley!" Selina yelled. "Stop molesting Pamela! Christ. I think we need to get you fixed. It's like you're always in heat." Catwoman had evidently come up from the lake without them noticing.

Harley pouted for a moment, but was brought back around to a girlish giggle when Ivy reached forward and tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "I love you too, Red." Harley whispered. "Jus' don't tell Mistah J, OK?"

Ivy chuckled and kissed the girl on the forehead. "OK, Harl."

"And when we go home I'll make LOOOOOVVVE to ya up against that wall by yer dressa, cuz it's a lot comfier than this spiky tree…no offense. Trees are great and all." The jester winked. "Kitty's jus' a party pooper."

"It's for our own good." Selina sat back against a nearby tree. "A sexually frustrated Poison Ivy is an effective Poison Ivy."

"Oh, why don't you go fuck a Bat, Selina?" Ivy spat.

"No thank you."


	16. Chapter 16

Oracle’s phone hadn’t stopped buzzing since Harley decided to give the world a live-action look at what would certainly be everyone’s favorite lesbian porno.

“#NoThankYou for the cockblock, Catwoman” was the tweet that best summed up social media’s response, in Barbara’s opinion. #NoThankYou was now trending and there was a fairly serious petition going around trying to get Catwoman her own late night TV show. Although there was clearly no way in hell that was happening, Barbara assumed there would be some sitcom about three hot, amoral friends just trying to make it in this complicated world sometime in the near future…after the three actual women were murdered, of course. Barbara decided she would give the hypothetical show she just created one episode to grab her attention, but if the hypothetical writers included a single threesome innuendo she’d shut it off right then and there. Barbara was already proud of her future principled actions.

Oracle felt like she’d been serving as these women’s babysitter for the last three days. Watching their every movement, monitoring their physical wellbeing as best she could…they didn’t know she was watching, but Barbara felt an odd connection to these women. She felt bonded, somehow. Zatanna had said it best when she was munching on her breakfast burrito- it was weird seeing those “Gotham girls” in this situation. They were like fish at a pet store- the world observing their movements through the glass, watching silently as they went about their dynamics. It was like studying wildlife in a controlled environment, but instead of the scientists writing thorough reports on the phenomena witnessed, they were tweeting things like “I think my boner just got a boner.”

The Sirens were sleeping on the ground tonight, which none but Harley seemed to be happy about. Ivy was so stressed she’d let Harley serve as the big spoon for the night, which to Barbara (and to twitter) seemed against their usual dynamic. Barbara (begrudgingly) found the action endearing on both women’s parts. Catwoman was curled up only about two feet away and Ivy’s hand was resting on her forearm. This positioning had been Harley’s doing. She’d leaned over and gently adjusted Ivy’s open palm once the redhead had fallen asleep in an attempt to include Selina. Selina herself had been awake at the time, although she was pretending to be asleep. Once again, Oracle could tell the thief was faking it from her breathing patterns. She’d flinched slightly when she felt Ivy’s hand, but it’d been an hour and she still hadn’t moved it. To sum up twitter’s reaction to that, one would need more heart-eye emojis than the keyboard allowed.

Watching these three women, women that Barbara had so famously brawled with, act so affectionately towards each other was making the former Batgirl question some of her long standing beliefs. She’d hated Harley for a very long time for being involved with The Joker after what he’d done to her…how he’d taken away her legs. Harley’s continuously choosing that “man” convinced Barbara that she was just as rotten. But that’s not how she was, not all the time, anyway. She wasn’t just Joker’s ditzy sidekick. She was as wounded as any of his other victims. Harley Quinn was The Joker’s worse offense.

And Catwoman and Ivy were…

The blinking red dot on her monitor roused Barbara from her thoughts. She rubbed the sleep away from her eyes and pulled on her glasses, sitting forward slightly. Someone was moving in the forest

/

Harley cautiously peered out from behind her lashes. She was sure Ivy was asleep because from experience she knew that slumber was the only scenario in which her body would relax. Harley had always found it strange how fluidly Ivy moved and spoke while being wound so tight. It was also rare for Ivy to fall asleep first, so Harley always treasured her serene expression of deep slumber when she got to witness it.

The blonde untangled herself from the other woman’s body and cautiously rose to her feet, eyeing Catwoman’s sleeping form as she did so. Harley knew Selina would probably side with Ivy when she stole away again, so the jester had to ensure ‘Kitty’ was just as sleepy as ‘Red.’ Harley grinned when Ivy tightened her grip around Catwoman’s forearm. She wished they wouldn’t be so prickly in the daylight. Harley knew they loved each other…just not in the way Ivy loved Harley. The blonde smiled even more broadly at that thought. ‘Two a’ the biggest, baddest supervillains in all a’ Gotham City, and both of em’ love me!’ She stifled a giggle and did a love-sick twirl before slinking out of the clearing and back through the forest.

The trees cast long shadows in the moonlight and the wind whispered through the leaves like the voices of ghost children. But Harley wasn’t afraid. Ivy taught her not to ever be afraid of the forest. The trees rewarded those who treated them with the respect they deserved. They produced oxygen, after all, so they deserved a whole helluva lotta respect. The jester nodded in an affirmation of her own thought and lovingly ran her fingers along the trunks of the trees as she passed them.

Harley swore she could feel the air thicken as she got closer. Her heart-rate picked up speed until the thumping in her ears was drowning out the haunting sounds of the forest. The trees were sleeping peacefully just like Ivy, but Harley was wide awake and she was excited. She started at a jog when their meeting tree came into view and in no time at all she was grinning goofily at the sharp profile silhouetted in the moonlight.

“Puddin’!”


	17. Chapter 17

“Goddamnit, Harley!” Oracle moved before her mind had the chance to catch up. She attempted to stand. Even though she was alone, when her legs didn’t budge she blushed a shade of red brighter than her hair. Barbara was embarrassed both at her investment in these women and at forgetting…she couldn’t…these weren’t her villains anymore.

The Joker was there. He was there with Harley. Harley had known exactly where to meet him. She’d wandered away from the safety of Ivy’s arms…a woman who loved her, who SAID that she loved her on live television. OK, so maybe she wasn’t aware that particular moment was being filmed, but still! For some reason, as Barbara watched Harley fly into Joker’s arms, she felt like she’d been cheated on along with Ivy.

Her phone buzzed and Barbara snatched it off the desk, annoyed. “Ow! My broken heart! #TeamIvy” ‘Oh great’, Barbara sighed, ‘now I’m no better than these assholes.’ And where had Joker come from, anyway? Oracle hadn’t been able to find him for a week, and his nature survival skills weren’t even in the same league as Poison Ivy’s. How was he able to hide himself so efficiently?

That puzzle would have to wait. Someone else was moving back at the Sirens camp. Barbara assumed it would be Ivy realizing that Harley was gone, but when she clicked on the notification she found it was Catwoman who was confusedly searching for the third member of their team. Ivy was still fast asleep. It seemed to Barbara that the sheer volume of poison she’d administered to Bane had exhausted her.

Catwoman first walked a little way down the bank to get a decent view of the lake, but when she didn’t see Harley there, she turned back to the forest. Selina stopped for a moment to observe the sleeping Poison Ivy before slinking along the tree line, looking for the trail that Harley might have taken, Barbara assumed. The brunette glanced over her shoulder one more time at Ivy before diving into the forest, forcing Barbara to have to change her camera angle to follow her.

/

Selina kept low to the ground, studying the forest floor for any sign of disturbance. She didn’t exactly want to stalk Harley on her trip to the restroom, but Selina figured it was better than the alternative- Ivy waking up without Harley because the jester had neglected to tell her where she was going again. But…now that Selina thought about it, she hadn’t told Ivy where she was going either. And maybe it wasn’t so wise to be walking around the dark forest of a gladiator’s arena at night without a meta-human bodyguard.

From what Catwoman could tell, Harley had walked a relatively straight line, but it was odd that she would walk this far just to relieve her bladder…and that’s when she heard a voice. A voice that wasn’t Harley’s. A voice that made her skin crawl.

Catwoman cautiously- silently- peered out from behind the tree that obscured her. Joker was holding Harley by the arms and had a Colt Camp Perry Long Rifle strapped to his side. Catwoman hadn’t brought her whip, and even though she was fairly confident she could beat Joker in hand-to-hand combat, that gun was ruling out a fair fight. She would need Ivy, both for combat purposes and to talk Harley down from the ledge once they’d killed Joker.

The thief eased herself away from her tree, and once she was out of what she guessed was earshot for Joker or Harley, she began a sprint back to the edge of the clearing.

“Ivy!” Catwoman shook the sleeping woman. “Pam! He’s back!” she hissed into Ivy’s ear.

Pamela began to stir, opening one eye and then the other. “Where’s Harley?” Her voice was raspy.

“She’s with him!” There was a panic to Selina’s tone that she wasn’t expecting.

“Who?” Ivy sat up and stretched.

“Who?” Catwoman snarled. “WHO?! The fucking Joker, that’s who!”

All grogginess immediately left Ivy’s features. She blinked, and her eyes were clear- glowing harlequin green, cutting through the thick blackness of the night. “Show me.”

Ivy had crafted a splint for her ankle, which according to Harley’s diagnosis was actually broken. “It will grow together.” Ivy kept assuring them. “It will grow together.” To help set it in place, she’d taken two thick sticks and fastened them around her ankle with a vine. Catwoman had to help her up off the ground, but after that she was able to move rather efficiently through the forest after Selina. The brunette kept glancing back behind her, but even with her limp she was able to keep up, although her face was contorted in pain.

Catwoman slowed as they approached the spot where Harley and Joker had been. His voice was quieter now, but amazingly he was still talking. There was no doubt The Joker liked the sound of his own voice. Ivy took calming breaths as she moved to a better vantage point. Joker had Harley pulled close to him, his hand on her chin, her face pulled into the crazed grin he tended to encourage in her. Ivy clenched her jaw, biting her tongue to starve off her anger, and gently placed her hand on the nearby tree’s trunk. Slowly, the roots of the trees surrounding the two “lovebirds” began to animate and slither towards them like twisting, wooden snakes. They didn’t realize what was happening until Ivy’s babies had fastened around their ankles, holding them in place.

“Bout’ time, Plant bitch!” Joker squealed, drawing his gun from the holster on his thigh.

Suddenly, Catwoman pounced from the branch above him, tackling him down to the ground and wrenching the gun from his grip.

“No!” Harley screamed. “Don’t hurt him, Kitty!”

The clown princess could barely get her words out before two more large roots erupted from the earth and slammed Harley onto the ground. Hard. Joker landed one punch against Catwoman before he was given the same treatment.

Selina’s headache was back thanks to the blow to her temple, but she ignored it to watch Ivy. The woman’s expression was calm, but the sort of calm that came before the storm. Selina could tell the anger was frothing just below the surface. She could see it in the woman’s green eyes, which held steady on Harley, but flickered dangerously.

“Red!” Harley said from her bound position on the ground. “Red, these things are a little tight.”

Ivy regarded Harley coolly, never breaking eye contact with her while she addressed the brunette. “Selina. Open that backpack, please.”

Catwoman had to scan the ground for a moment before her eyes landed on a League-issued bag laying near The Joker. The brunette looked oddly at Ivy before approaching it, and hesitated for just a moment before unzipping the main compartment.

“Whatever happened to personal privacy, ladies?” Joker cackled.

“What’s in the bag, Selina?” Ivy asked. Her tone even. Biting.

Catwoman’s stomach turned. ‘Oh, Harley…you stupid fucking idiot.’

“What’s in the bag, Selina?” Ivy repeated with the same icy cadence.

Catwoman grimaced as she dumped the bag’s contents onto the grass. Nine apples, safe for consumption, and one water spile.

Ivy glanced over. She knew what she would find, but she clearly didn’t want to believe Harley would abuse her trust like this. Ivy’s mouth stayed firm, but her eyes betrayed the hurt she felt. She made a motion like throwing dice and Harley was dragged off the ground and slammed harshly into the tree behind her.

“Oh, what’s the matter Poison Oakey? You—“ Catwoman shut Joker up by kicking him in the groin.

“Hey!” Harley protested.

“Shut up!” Ivy snapped. Harley did as she was told, she, Joker and Catwoman all silently watching Ivy with significant apprehension as she paced in a tight circle in front of her captives. She finally came to a stop and looked at Harley with those hurt eyes, her bottom lip quivering from frustration and heartbreak.

“Why?” was all she could come up with. “Why would you do this to me?”

“I wasn’t doin’ nothin’ to ya, Red!” Harley implored, wiggling a bit in an attempt to loosen the root clamping her arms down to her sides. “I jus love Mistah J, that’s all. Just because nobody loves you the way I love Mistah J, doesn’t mean—“

“Oh!” a mirthless laugh escaped Ivy’s lips. “You mean because there’s no man around to hit me, I don’t understand irrational thinking? It seems I do, Harley. After all, the very definition of insanity is doing something over and over again hoping for a different result, right? You should have been able to diagnose this in me years ago, Dr. Quinzel.” She sneered.

“You woulda been real proud of me, though, Red!” Harley assured her. “I even remembered the word and everything, didn’t I, Puddin’? I told’ja it was called a ‘spile.’” She nodded earnestly at Joker, hoping he’d back her up.

“She most certainly did.” The clown prince cackled.

“And I remembad which ones were the good apples and which ones would’a killed im.” Harley continued to make the case for her intelligence. “And I was thinking…you know how when alotta people are talkin’ at the same time in a busy place ya can’t hear anything? Well…I thought it might be the same for yer plants! So I told him ta stay right next ta us in the thickest part a the forest, and it worked, Red! Didn’t it work real well?”

“Jesus, Harley…” Selina murmured. “You’re delusional.”

“I ain’t delusional! Puddin’ loves me, really.” She smiled dreamily at The Joker who blew her a kiss. “He’s got my heart, Red. He locked it up and threw away the key.”

“But he doesn’t love you, Harley! He hurts you!” Ivy said it like she couldn’t believe she was having to say it again.

“Oh, sure I do, Pammy.” Joker cooed. “She’s got my heart too.” He winked and Harley melted.

“Does she, now?” Ivy let out another humorless chuckle. “My apologies for getting in the way of your happiness. Here, allow me.” Without any more warning, a sharpened branch came alive behind Ivy.

Catwoman felt like she was watching the ordeal in slow motion. The vine jutting forwards, viciously ripping through Joker’s chest and then skewering his heart on its sharp point. Ivy pulled her hand back and the branch mirrored her movements, ripping Joker’s still beating heart from his chest.


	18. Chapter 18

Oracle had to clamp her hands over her hears at Harley’s screech. It was piercing, and even muffled, it bounced around in Barbara’s head like it was shot out of a canon. Anyone not watching Poison Ivy’s violence would probably assume that it was Harley who had been stabbed for the cry of deep pain she emitted.

Barbara had been forced to watch many a violent death over the six years since The Arena was instituted, but she’d never seen anything quite like this. The branch retracted with the skewered muscle, bringing it back to Ivy for examination. She glanced at the beating organ, and then over at the man it belonged to. Joker’s face was contorted in pain and confusion as he observed his now gaping chest cavity.

Unconsciously, without malice or forethought, Barbara’s lips crept into a sly smile. The Joker was dead. Finally, The Joker was dead. And he met a demise befitting of his time on this planet- violent. While it was true watching Joker die wouldn’t give Barbara her legs back, this simple act of unintended revenge would suffice in the meantime.

Bruce re-entered the control room then, dressed in his Batsuit. The former Batgirl replaced her contented smile with a more typical placid expression.

“Turn the light on.” He said in his gravelly voice specifically reserved for Batman.

“I’m sorry?”

“Put the sun in the sky.” He indicated the moonlit image of the arena. “I want everyone to see this.”

/

Catwoman couldn’t stop starring at Ivy. She faintly registered that Harley was screaming somewhere in the background, but the unequivocal evil she’d just witnessed rattled Selina so deeply she just continued to stare dumbly at Ivy as she examined the heart she’d skewered.

“PUDDIN! PUDDIN! NO! NO, IVY! PUDDIN!” Harley cried nonsensically, tears streaming down her face.

Ivy shrugged. “I thought he’d appreciate the joke.” A wicked smile licked at her lips. “Here you go, Harl. This is what you wanted, right? The object of your desire?” The branch began to move towards Harley who shook her head vigorously.

“TAKE IT AWAY, IVY! PLEASE! IT’S HORRIBLE! YOU’RE HORRIBLE!” The blonde cried.

“No, Harley.” Ivy chided. “We must learn to live with the consequences of our decisions. Here.” She waved a hand in the air and the roots binding Harley wrenched her arms up so she was holding her palms out, waiting for an offering.

“Pamela. Stop.” Catwoman breathed.

Ivy ignored her, depositing the twitching muscle into Harley’s outstretched hands.

Harley wretched and tried to drop it, but the roots closed her palms around the heart, forcing her to squeeze its bloody exterior.

Catwoman was once again starring dumbly at Ivy. She hadn’t witnessed this degree of depravity in her for a very long time. Harley had changed that in her, Selina assumed, forced Ivy to want to compare favorably to The Joker. Catwoman supposed it was only fitting that Harley be the one to awaken the evil from its slumber once more. As Selina watched, the sun began to quickly rise behind Ivy, illuminating her beautiful features while casting long shadows across them. She looked like a dark angel, one that came from below rather than above.

“Pamela.” Catwoman was a little louder this time. A little braver. “This is too much. Stop.”

Ivy raised an eyebrow. “You think so?”

“GET IT AWAY!” Harley screeched. “GET IT AWAY!”

“Mmm…perhaps you’re right, Cat.” Ivy acknowledged, bending down to grab a stick from her feet. She crossed the space between she and Harley. “My apologies, Darling.” Ivy sliced across her own palm with the stick. She raised her hand above Harley’s and squeezed, forcing her green blood out of the slit in her palm. The droplets sizzled and smoked as they landed on Joker’s heart. Harley watched in horror as the muscular tissue began to break down, appearing to melt in her hands.

“You are a mean lady, Ivy.” Harley bawled. “An evil, mean, horrible lady.”

“Gosh, Harley…” Ivy facetiously tapped her temple with her index finger. “It’s almost like I’m a…a supervillain, right?”

“I HATE you, Poison Ivy! I hate you, I hate you, I HATE YOU!” Harley was shaking her head so hard her pigtails were coming loose.

“Poison Ivy…” the redhead repeated, her lips moving slowly, curling salaciously around the syllables. Ivy looked up at the sky, evidently noticing for the first time that the sun had risen. The daylight proved to have a sobering effect. “Harley... I... I don't understand. I put my life on the line for you. I protected you. I kept you safe. I listened to you. I held you when you cried. I healed your wounds. I told you I loved you, Harley. I don't even really understand that concept, but I told you that I love you because I do. I would choose you every time. But at this point I'm not sure what more I can give. You lead me on. You deny me. You break my heart. You go back to him. Like clockwork. And I come crawling back to you just the same. You are my Joker, Harley. You are a selfish woman and the worst part is I don’t even think you fully realize what you’re doing.”

Now it was Harley who was starring silently at Ivy, curiously even, despite the circumstances. A lump formed in Catwoman’s throat. She couldn’t believe it, but she knew where this was going.

“So I am going to do to you what you should have done to him a long time ago.” Ivy continued, swallowing hard. “I'm going to kill you. Because I'm stronger than you and I'm stronger than this. If we were in the real world I would probably forgive you again. Give you one more billionth chance. But push has come to shove, Darling, and you don't deserve me.”

Harley’s mouth dropped open. “R…Red?” She stammered.

“Pam…” Selina whispered. “You’re angry. Don’t do this.”

Ivy shook her head. “I’m not angry. I’m empty. I’ve spent so long being angry…” a tear fell down her cheek. “He’s dead and she still wouldn’t choose me.”

“No, no, Red!” Harley was pleading now. “Sure I’d choose ya! Sure I would!”

Again, Ivy shook her head. “I love you, Harley.” She sighed. “I love you…madly. You know what that feels like, don’t you? To do everything you possibly can for someone and yet they still don’t value you? You can kid yourself into thinking he did, but I refuse to be that delusional with myself.” Harley was crying now too, and Ivy closed her eyes briefly, continuing with a softer tone. “I love you, Harley. But I have to love myself more.”

“So what?” Harley sniffed. “Yer gonna kill me jus’ cuz I don’t love ya like I loved Mistah J?”

“No, Harl.” Ivy gently brushed the blonde hair out of the jester’s eye. “I’m going to kill you because I can’t trust you, and I can’t trust you because you don’t love me.”

“There has to be another way.” Catwoman murmured behind them, although there was nothing convincing in her tone.

“Not here, there isn’t.” Ivy wiped the tear from her cheek. “Here and now, this is the only way.”

“How are ya gonna do it, Red?” Harley asked. “Are ya gonna make it hurt?”

Ivy shook her head and the roots that were pinning Harley to the tree by her neck moved up to her chin and behind her head. “I would never hurt you, Harley…” she whispered. “Atlanto-occipital disarticulation. I’m going to break your neck at the highest possible vertebrae. The result will be instantaneous.” The roots tightened as she spoke.

“Pammy…” Harley sniffled, a tear rolling off her chin. “Could ya…could ya do it with your hands?” She forced Ivy to look her in the eye. “I like yer hands. They’re warm and soft.”

Slowly, the roots fell away from Harley’s face and Ivy replaced them with her hands. She leaned forward and reverently rested her forehead against Harley’s, allowing the tears to flow freely down her cheeks.

“Maybe I’ll get to see my Puddin’ again.” Harley whispered.

The result, was, indeed, instantaneous.


	19. Chapter 19

SNAP!

The roots uncoiled themselves and Harley’s lifeless body fell into Ivy’s arms. The redhead sobbed, her chest heaving as she cradled the younger woman to her breast. Rocking back and forth. Her tears sputtering out in fits and bursts. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She repeated over and over again, struggling to pronounce the syllables through her sobs.

Selina had never heard anything quite like it. It was a mother mourning the loss of her child, a sister grieving her sibling, a woman lamenting the death of her lover. Harley’s eyes remained open, the wide blue orbs starring innocently up at Pamela as she clutched her to her chest and kissed desperately against Harley’s pale, lifeless face.

Catwoman suddenly felt the weight of the whip in her hand. This was a moment. If she moved quickly…Ivy was exposed. Beside herself with grief, not focused on anything but the corpse in her arms. Selina would have the advantage, if only for a moment…but that “corpse” had been her friend too. Her best friend, even. Ivy had killed Harley. Not like, “you idiot, I’m going to kill you!” she actually did it. Harley Quinn was dead. Selina blinked a tear out of her eye and slowly approached Ivy’s shaking form. She supposed she knew it was coming. It was inevitable that one of them would die first…Catwoman just never thought that the death would come at the hands of one of the three of them. And never in a million years did she think Ivy would kill Harley. She thought she had a better chance against Ivy in a one-on-one fight than Ivy had of murdering the woman she loved. The only human she’d ever loved.

Selina dropped to her knees behind Ivy and tentatively rested her hand on the green skin of Ivy’s shoulder. In that moment, Catwoman too felt as if her heart had been ripped out. The action of taking a life, so violent, and yet so tranquil in the final moments. Selina realized then that she had been treated just like Harley, Bruce taking up Ivy’s mantle in that context. The difference was, Ivy had completed the task respectfully, lovingly, even, while Bruce had simply sentenced her here like a coward. Sadness, anger and fear assimilated within her, resulting in a volatile cocktail rooted in the powerlessness of the situation. Selina put her other arm around Ivy, needing comfort just as severely, although Bruce wouldn’t be weeping over her corpse. She would die out here, alone.

/

The control room was completely silent. Bruce and Barbara sat, watching the screen, not moving, barely breathing. Barbara’s phone had stopped buzzing as well. Evidently, the whole world was in shock, or at least the world of twitter users.

Oracle felt sick to her stomach. Ivy’s wailing was nearly as disturbing as Harley’s death and Catwoman’s defeated body language added an eerie contrast to the scene. Tears sprung unbidden to Barbara’s eyes and she had to remove her glasses to wipe them before Bruce could see.

The former Batgirl cleared her throat, hoping her voice wouldn’t betray her emotions. “I guess I should send a body-copter.”

“No.” Batman shook his head, not taking his eyes off the screen. “Let Ivy burry her.”

“Why?” Oracle asked, turning to look at him.

“We owe them that much.” Batman murmured. “Their sacrifice won’t go unnoticed.”

Oracle furrowed her brow. “Their sacrifice?”

Bruce just nodded as Catwoman put her arms around Ivy’s shoulders and held her nearly as tightly as Ivy was grasping at Harley. The scene was sweet and disturbing all at the same time, and Barbara wondered if the people at home were feeling the same way she was- like they were all Poison Ivy. They were all Catwoman. In some ways, for how quickly the world had turned dark after Lois Lane’s death, they were all Harley as well. Harley was searching for something to cling to, she’d just- ultimately- made the wrong choice. Or, judging from Ivy’s speech, Harley had made a series of incorrect choices that’d dammed up Ivy’s heart until the stops exploded and she finally gave up on this fictional love she’d been chasing for so many years.

Barbara hoped the people at home were watching. And really, really watching. She hoped it would sink in that although evil, these villains were people too, and hunting them in some version of a ‘Most Dangerous Game’ scenario was both inhumane, and below what the Justice League stood for as the guardians of the planet. Barbara hoped that Harley, Ivy and Catwoman could serve as an example for…wait a minute…

“You knew about this!”

Batman narrowed his eyes. “About what?”

“About Harley and Ivy!” Barbara exclaimed. “You knew Ivy loved her and you knew she’d show it once she thought they were alone.”

“Everyone knew about Harley and Ivy, Barbara.” Batman responded reasonably.

“You also knew that Harley would always choose The Joker, no matter what Ivy did.” Barbara continued as if he hadn’t responded. “You knew that would break Ivy’s heart and you knew she’d react violently somehow.”

“I looked at a few statistical models.” Bruce admitted.

“Either way, you knew one of them was going to die and the other one would respond like this.” Barbara turned up the sound on the monitor to full blast and Ivy’s sobs filled the room, shaking the controls with their vibrations. “You were trying to prove to The League that villains are capable of reform or at least evolution.” Barbara yelled over the gut-wrenching sound. “So Harley really is a sacrifice! You sacrificed the fan favorite so you could get the world’s attention!”

Batman lunged for the controls and muted the feed. “And it was effective.” He told her once his ears found respite in the silence. “Look at how the world has responded, they’re calling us the villains now.”

“And that’s what you wanted?” Barbara asked, confused.

“Superman is a man of the people. He loves this world and he loves human beings. He listens to them.” Batman explained. “The opposition needed to come from the people for him to want to change.”

Barbara was surprised at how upset she was. “But why did you choose Harley and Ivy?”

“They had a dynamic that could be manipulated.” Bruce’s intoned. “Besides, Ivy is one of the only rogues from my gallery who I felt could win.”

“And what was Harley? Just collateral damage?” Oracle wondered.

“A sick, misguided woman.” Batman told her solemnly. “One that no matter how hard I tried, no matter how hard Ivy tried, could not break free of Joker’s abuse.”

“So you just sacrificed her?” Barbara asked. “Like a pawn in some game?”

“Mark my words Barbara.” His voice was heavy. Weary, even. “This will be the last year of the arena, and it’s that pawn that will deliver the checkmate.”

“Sounds like you’re playing God, to me.” Barbara spat at her mentor.

Bruce pointed to the display. “You just made the sun rise. We’re all playing God.”


	20. Chapter 20

“Mmm…yeah…fuck me, Daddy…” Harley moaned in her high pitched voice, sucking Ivy’s finger into her mouth.

Ivy's thrusts slowed before she finally came to a stop, dropping her head to Harley’s chest in defeat.

“Red!” Harley complained as Ivy withdrew her finger from her mouth. “You’re goin’ in the wrong direction!”

“Just give me a second, Harl…” Ivy murmured against Harley’s skin between labored breaths. “I’m attempting to salvage any semblance of arousal after being called ‘daddy’.”

“Oops, sorry…” Harley giggled. “Fuck me, ‘Mommy.’”

“And…we are done.” Ivy dramatically rolled off of Harley to lay on the bed next to her.

“Aww…what’s the matter, Pammy?” She ran her fingers up Ivy’s stomach. “Don’t wanna wham me?”

“OK…” Ivy lulled her head to the side to face the blonde. “That was cheap. Even for you.”

“Pammy likes to wham me. Pammy likes to wham me.” Harley sang, wearing an amused grin that looked like it had been drawn on for how it overtook her features.

Pamela grabbed a pillow from her right and slammed it down onto Harley’s face, only letting up when she heard a muffled giggle from beneath.

“Ah, come on, Pam-a-lam. Let’s try again, OK?” Harley pleaded, rolling over and propping her head up on her elbows. “You got me all riled up.” 

“Just…please don’t infantilize yourself.” Pam requested as she ran a hand through Harley’s unruly blonde hair, trying- and failing- to tame it. “I want to be with the strong, intelligent woman that you are, not the stupid little girl that he…” she trailed off before mentioning The Joker. She didn’t want Harley picturing him on top of her.

“Fine!” Harley smirked. “But there ain’t no place for ‘Dr. Isley’ in the bedroom either. So quit using fancy words like ‘infantilize’.” She leaned over to kiss Ivy but then reconsidered her earlier statement. “Well actually…I guess Dr. Isley can come, but only if she’s wearin’ glasses and a labcoat with nothin’ underneath.”

Ivy couldn’t stop the smile from spreading over her red lips. Shaking her head cheekily she asked, “Really? The lab coat? That’s a turn on for you?”

“Oh, sure.” Harley winked, grazing her fingernails just below Ivy’s navel. “Now could we try again, Pammy? Please?”

“Fine.” Ivy sighed as she turned over to fully face Harley on the bed.

The blonde bit her lip and leaned into Ivy’s touch as the redhead trailed her long green finger across her jawline. Ivy began to lean in for a kiss, but just before their lips met, Harley muttered “Poison deadly movin’ in slow, lookin’ for a mellow fellow like DeVoe” and then she was being smothered once more.

“Stop it, Harl!” Ivy removed the pillow, revealing the girl’s self-satisfied grin beneath it. “I’m having a really hard time taking myself seriously!”

“Never trust a big butt and a smile!” Harley sang gleefully. “That girl is…”

“Poison.” Ivy finished the song lyric for her and flopped back onto her pillow with a (sexually) frustrated eye roll.

“That girl is MY Poison Oaky!” Harley giggled as she impulsively pounced on Ivy. “And she’s super lucky cuz’ ole’ Harley’s Quinn’s gonna make her feel real good.” She kissed a sloppy line down Ivy’s neck as she reached over to the nightstand for her glasses. “Jus what the doctor ordered.” She winked, her blue eyes bugging out from beneath the thick, round lenses. "Miss her, kiss her, love her..."

/ 

“Pamela…” Selina’s words were soft as she lifted her head from where it lay on Ivy’s shoulder. Her arms were wrapped around the redhead’s back as Ivy was still clutching Harley’s body to her chest. “The sun’s out…and we’re exposed.”

“I’m taking her.” Ivy voice was harsh and she held Harley tighter. “I’m not leaving her here. She’s coming with us.”

“Pam, honey…” Selina wiped a tear from the woman’s cheek, only faintly aware that this was not their typical relationship. “You’re a smart woman. You know carrying 120lbs of dead w…” She saw Ivy’s warning look and adjusted her wording, “of Harley around is going to slow us down.”

“I’m…” Ivy sniffed. “I’m going to bury her.”

Catwoman pulled herself around to Ivy’s front so she could speak to the other woman straight on, although she tried not to look at the dead body she was clinging to. “The drone is going to take her away. They’ll bury her with the other selections.”

“Harley Quinn will not be laid to rest in an unmarked grave!” Ivy snapped, her eyes flickering.

Selina drew back, knowing that Ivy’s already unpredictable emotional response would be amplified. She would need to tread extremely carefully around her going forward. “How about we bury her here? You’re hurt, Ivy. I don’t think you’ll be able to make it back to the lake carrying her.”

Ivy looked at Selina like the brunette had just called the sky green. “You’re…you’re suggesting I leave her here…with him?!” Her hand shot out to indicate the gory remains of The Joker.

“But, Pam…” Selina began, trying not to sound like an authority figure. “Your leg…”

“My leg is fine.” Ivy spat, unceremoniously wiping her tears from her cheeks which were leaving misplaced reddish patches where they clustered.

Selina sighed. Ivy clearly wasn’t budging on this issue. “OK, let’s go.” She got to her feet and grimaced as she took Harley’s limp arms, pulling some of her weight off of Ivy so the redhead could stand up. With a little effort and a slight whimper of pain, Ivy was bending over and lifting the body off the ground. Harley’s neck flopped backwards at an unnatural angle and Catwoman felt sick again. She helped Ivy to adjust the head so it was leaning against her breast and with a noticeable limp, the redhead started off towards the lake with Catwoman in tow.

By Selina’s calculations, they were about a mile into the forest. That was a long way to walk with a broken ankle, and an even longer way when you’re holding a human being in your arms. Selina made sure to stay behind Ivy the whole time, letting her bravely lead the way back to the lake. Every so often they’d have to stop and readjust Harley’s head, but other than that, Ivy forged ahead at a truly impressive pace under the circumstances. An occasional sniff or garbled whisper to no one in particular was the only indication Ivy gave that anything was actually wrong. Catwoman half expected Harley to sit up and laugh at what a ridiculous notion being killed by Ivy was.

Selina thought back to their first day… “Ivy would never leave me,” Harley had assured herself. If only Ivy could’ve said the same thing about Harley. What a stupid, stupid dumbass. Stupid, idiot, Harley! Inconsiderate, stupid, fucking…Catwoman wiped the frustrated tears from her eyes. Selina had lost two friends that day- Harley, and the Pamela she’d grown accustomed to.

Once they’d made it to the forest’s edge, Ivy gently set Harley’s body down by the tree they’d been kissing at the day before. The redhead leaned back into its trunk and closed her eyes, her chest rising and falling with deep gulps of air as she struggled to breathe without tipping off Selina as to just how tired she was.

“Here.” Pam patted the ground near where she sat. “This is the spot.”

Catwoman nodded in understanding and grabbed the shovel from where it stuck up in the ground, starting the hole with one shovelful. Ivy helped, eventually, and in a little over two hours there was a hole in the ground that Ivy deemed appropriate.

The redhead’s eyelids fluttered shut as she leaned down to place a kiss on Harley’s cheek and then her lips. “I’m sorry.” She whispered against Harley’s pale skin as her salty tears ran from her cheeks to Harley’s. “I didn’t want this…you have to believe me that I didn’t want this…”

Selina squeezed Ivy’s hand, ignoring her own tears as they rolled off her chin. “She knows, Pam.”

Ivy nodded and pulled away, unable to look at Harley’s lifeless features any longer. It just wasn’t right…Harley had been so full of life…

“I’ll miss you, Harl. You were the--“ Selina’s voice cracked. “You were the light in our lives.” She kissed the girl’s stiffening hand to muffle her sob.

Together, the two remaining Sirens lowered Harley into the ground. “Goodbye, Darling.” Ivy whispered. She raised her hand above the grave to drop the first handful of dirt, but let out another sob instead and withdrew her hand. “I just…” she looked desperately at Selina. “I loved her so much, Kitty!”

“I know.” Catwoman embraced her, rocking her ever so slightly from side to side as the wetness accumulated on one another’s shoulders. “You did what you had to do, you did what you had to do.” She repeated over and over again until the redhead believed it enough to begin the process of covering the grave.

When the dirt was all packed, and they were officially alone, the two women sat silently at the edge of the grave. Selina laying curled up in a ball, and Ivy sitting with her knees drawn to her chest, both just starring at the disturbed dirt in front of them.

“What song do you think Harley would have wanted at her funeral?” Selina murmured, her voice still heavy with sadness.

“Bohemian Rhapsody.” Ivy answered nearly instantaneously.

Catwoman almost smiled at that. “Seems like you had that one in the chamber.”

“I’ve been planning her funeral for years.” Ivy admitted, beginning to rock slowly. “Every time she’d come ho…come to my hideout, battered and broken, I would ask her something she’d want at her funeral. I was trying to scare her into leaving him. I told her, ‘one of these days, it’s going to be more than a broken bone or a black eye. One of these days, he’s going to kill you, Harley.’” Ivy took a moment to collect herself. “She’d say ‘no, no. He loves me, really. He won’t kill me.’ And…” Pam swallowed. “And the worst part is, she was right. I killed her, Selina. I killed Harley.”

_Wrong move, you're dead...That girl is Poison._


	21. Chapter 21

“Barbara!” Supergirl bust through the double-doors of the control room, fuming. “I’m going to…“ She stopped short when she saw Bruce. “Hello, Batman.” She croaked.

“Kara.” He acknowledged the blonde. “Please, don’t stop mid-sentence on my behalf.”

“I…umm…” Supergirl appeared to have lost her nerve and glanced nervously from Batman to Barbara. “I’m going to talk to Clark. I can’t…” She cleared her throat. “I can’t call myself a hero if I continue to turn a blind eye to their suffering.” She swallowed and sheepishly looked to Batman, who wasn’t providing her much of a reaction to go off of. “I know they’ve done a lot of horrible things in their lives, but…but no one should…” Kara shook her head. “That was sickening. I’m going to talk to Clark.” She puffed up her chest. “You just try and stop me, Batman.”

“What are you going to tell him?” Bruce asked, crossing his arms over his Bat symbol.

“What am I going to tell him?!” Supergirl repeated with unnecessary frustration, faltering when she realized his tone had been completely neutral. “Umm…” she recalibrated. “I am going to tell him that this isn’t the way I was raised on Krypton and it isn’t the way he was raised on Earth. That we need to go back to seeing the good in people even if they’re obsessed with plants and despise humanity or steal expensive art from museums.”

“And what if they kill people?” Batman asked, playing devil’s advocate.

“Then they need to be locked up.” Supergirl’s hands unconsciously moved to her hips, assuming the classic stance of a hero. “We have to be the guiding light for this world. That shining city on the hill that people can look to in times of need. For liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith, and the people must have faith in our morality!”

Barbara squinted. “What is that? Tocqueville?

“Well, yeah…” Kara deflated slightly.

Batman arched a brow. “American Exceptionalism?”

“I’m drawing a parallel!” Supergirl threw her hands out, exasperated.

“OK…” Batman nodded slowly. “Go ahead.”

“What?” Kara clearly hadn’t been expecting that response.   
“Go talk to him.” Bruce repeated. “He loves you, he listens to you. Go give him the speech.”

“But…” Supergirl looked questioningly at Barbara.

“Batman has a master plan.” The redhead’s words came out salty. “A plan that gave us a volatile Poison Ivy, a dead Harley Quinn, and an exposed Catwoman…but a plan all the same.

“Selina was never supposed to be a part of this.” Batman reminded them. “But I am every bit as committed to ending this as you are, Kara.”

“And what about when Cheetah comes?” Barbara asked him. “She’s only…” the former Batgirl checked her display, “Two miles out. Neither of them look exactly prepared to me.” She enlarged the image of Ivy and Catwoman huddled around Harley’s freshly dug grave.”

“They will be.” Batman assured the girls.

“You’re betting on Poison Ivy against Wonder Woman’s most formidable adversary?” Kara asked, incredulous.

Bruce watched the monitor. “I would take an angry Poison Ivy against almost anyone.”

“Against you?” Barbara quirked an eyebrow.

“I get her talking.” Batman explained. “Ivy and her narcissistic arrogance do the work for me. This is an atypical setting. She doesn’t have her usual cause to filibuster.”

“I hope you’re right, Bruce.” Barbara toggled the camera to follow Cheetah as she slinked through the forest in her animal form. “Because Selina is just a house cat compared to this one.”

“And what makes you think that Ivy will even protect her?” Supergirl asked.

“There’s a loyalty vacuum.” Batman answered simply. “As someone who truly believes she is the physical embodiment of Mother Nature; Ivy needs someone or something to defend. Her plants, Harley…and now Selina.”

/

Ivy and Selina hadn’t spoken in well over a half hour, each lost in their own thoughts, each grieving Harley in their own way.

Selina finally cleared her throat and asked, “Remember when all the neighborhood animals went missing?”

Ivy looked up with bloodshot eyes and a questioning expression.

The brunette furrowed her brow, sitting up slightly. “I could have sworn you were there.”

Pam shook her head, offering no verbal response.

“Oh, well” Selina wiped the snot from under her nose, having given up any attempt at her usual effortless grace some time ago. “The neighbors asked if we’d help find their animals since they kept disappearing…and it turned out Harley’s fucking hyenas were getting loose at night and eating them.”

Ivy arched a still impeccably groomed eyebrow. “And?”

Catwoman shrugged, laying back down and absently playing with the loose dirt. “That’s it.”

Some more silence passed between before Ivy came to a simple realization. “That’s a horrible story.”

Selina brushed her dark bangs out of her eyes. “Yeah…it is.” She paused, thinking. “It seemed sort of funny, or ironic in the moment…but it was horrible. A lot of my Harley stories are like that, I think.”

Ivy stared dejectedly at the ground. “Did I tell you how we met?” she murmured.

“You mean when she was your psychiatrist?”

Ivy shook her head softly. “The second time…”

“No.” Catwoman curled herself into a tighter ball. Both Sirens were only on about two hours of sleep at this point and the tears she’d shed were weighing heavy on her eyelids.

“She crashed into my greenhouse…on a rocket.” Ivy told her. 

Catwoman squinted, trying to put together a mental image…surprisingly, it wasn’t that hard. “Where did Harley get a rocket?”

“Well it wasn’t her rocket.” Ivy explained, loosening her grip on her knees. “It was Joker’s rocket. He strapped her to it and hoped she’d land somewhere…funny.” She spat out the last word like it left a bitter taste on her tongue.

“That…” Catwoman allowed herself to smile. “That’s just the perfect Harley entrance, isn’t it?”

“Perhaps.” Ivy rested her chin on her elbows.

“I mean perfect that Joker would send her to die and she would end up finding you.” Selina clarified. “I just…you know…we saw it so many times, it’s almost poetic is would start out that way…”

“And end in the inverse?” Pam’s voice was shaky once more, her bottom lip quivering.

“She made her choice.” Catwoman mumbled, assuring herself of that as much as Ivy. “I’m just sorry that those were her last words. That she mentioned him when you were giving her the gift of painlessness.”

A spark lit behind Ivy’s eyes, her green iris flickered, churning like a glowing green acid. “Puddin’.” Ivy spat. “Mistah J, Mistah J,” she mocked in an angry rendition of Harley’s lovesick ramblings. “Oh, change the record, Harl!” Ivy slammed her fist onto the ground. “You want to be some wacko’s victim the rest of your life?!”

Selina hadn’t observed it herself, but somehow, even with her ankle injury, Ivy was on her feet. “You did this to yourself!” The redhead screamed at the mound of dirt. “You stupid, inconsiderate girl!”

It was when she began to stomp on Harley’s grave that Selina truly got worried. “STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!” The redhead was screaming, either ignoring or forgetting the state of the bones in her ankle. “STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!” She slammed down on the wet dirt again and again.

“Ivy!” Catwoman tried to quiet her. “Ivy, don’t…” she trailed off when their challenger entered the clearing.


	22. Chapter 22

“Oh, my…” Cheetah slinked into the clearing, pawing slowly on all fours out of the trees. “Pamela, if you and I are both here…how will they continue to satisfy their redheaded villain quota?”

“Cheetah.” Catwoman breathed, her mouth dry, her body stiff.

Ivy didn’t turn around. She kept her eyes trained on the disturbed dirt at her feet.

“I must say I’m surprised you’ve made it this far, my dear.” Cheetah purred. “I assumed Firefly’s forest fire would be the end of you.”

“He paid dearly for that.” Ivy growled, her throat already raw from sorrow.

Cheetah smirked, her thick tail swaying as she came closer. “And Batman’s house cat…Sorry, Love. I didn’t see you there. I don’t usually feed strays, is all.”

“I’m not in the mood for this.” Ivy mumbled, hearing Cheetah approach, but not turning to look.

“Aren’t there usually three in your posse, Pamela?” The animal squinted, thinking. “The redhead, the brunette, and…” She stood up on her hind legs, taking the stance of the human portion of her hybrid. “Where’s the bimbo?”

“What do you care?” Catwoman snapped.

“Well I happen to have a great deal of respect for Dr. Isley. She and I were on the same team once. Do you remember, Pamela?”

Ivy didn’t respond. Her gaze remained focused on the ground.

“Both of us doctors, both hybrids…the hair…” Cheetah chuckled, now within ten feet of the other two. “Pamela and I have more in common than most. The difference is, I challenge myself. My hero is an immortal meta-human. Hers…yours as well, I suppose…is simply the typical male aggressor.

“Well that certainly sounds like something Ivy would say…” Selina grumbled, looking over Ivy’s shoulder, past Cheetah to where her whip lay on the ground. She would never make it.

“For anyone else, three against one might seem like unfair odds,” Cheetah grinned. “But unlike you two, I’ve been tested.” Her claws glinted in the sunlight as she brought them up for examination. “How about you tell the blonde to come out from her hiding spot and I’ll promise to make this quick. We’re all tired, right?”

Ivy slowly turned to face her, her eyes- puffy from crying- betrayed surprisingly little emotion. “I’m not in the mood for this.” She repeated.

“Oh, come now, Pamela.” Cheetah tsked. “Why so forlorn? So void of jest? If it’s a fear of death, I can assure you this will be over quickly.”

“I said,” Ivy’s eyes blazed acid green, “I’M NOT IN THE MOOD!” Her arms shot up, and with them a thick root broke through the ground at Cheetah’s feet, wrapping her legs and torso in its wooden grasp.

Catwoman saw her window of opportunity and sprinted past the subdued Cheetah to her whip.

Cheetah hissed as she swiped at the roots, leaving them in tatters. She was down on all fours now, stalking Ivy like the predator that she was, her eerie yellow eyes flickering with the adrenaline of a hunt.

Selina cracked her whip and it sliced painfully across the animal’s back. Cheetah spun around. “That was a mistake, Kitty Cat.” She growled, lunging at the Brunette with her incredible quickness.

Ivy thrust her hand forward and a root followed, grabbing Cheetah around the waist and slamming her onto her back like a rag doll. The root lifted her off the ground again, but Cheetah sliced the thing away as it held her in midair, sending her flying over Ivy’s head and closer to the lake.

She was somehow able to land on her feet and gathered momentum as she raced at them back up the bank, displaying her famous speed. She went at Catwoman first, who ducked at the last moment to avoid her charge. But Selina wasn’t quick enough to make Cheetah miss completely. One of the animal’s powerful claws reached down and scratched deep lines across her face. Selina screeched and clasped her hand to her cheek as Cheetah turned on a dime for a second pass, this time aiming for Ivy.

The redhead picked up a stick from the ground and threw it at Cheetah’s paws as she approached. The stick doubled in size and wrapped itself around her foreleg, tripping her up. Selina landed two quick strikes with her whip while Cheetah was on the ground, but was scratched down the length of her thigh when the animal broke free of her restraints once more.

Blood streamed down Catwoman’s face, following the path of the tears she’d just cried, pooling on her chin or falling to the ground. Her scream of pain when her leg was sliced open angered Ivy. The redhead’s hands shook with the emotion. Cheetah slashed Catwoman once more, across the back this time, as the brunette tried to get away.

Ivy let out a growl of frustration and two new roots erupted from the ground, one wrapping around Cheetah’s neck and the other pushing Catwoman away from the immediate battle ground. The root slammed Cheetah onto her back and then onto her stomach without a moment’s hesitation. Cheetah grunted in pain and Ivy repeated the movement, slamming her hand forward and then back, the root mirroring her movements for another rotation until it tossed Cheetah into the lake 30 feet away.

The redhead ran after her, stopping at the water’s edge just after Cheetah broke the surface, sputtering. Her expression was hateful, her yellow eyes filled with rage. She started quick strokes back to the shore, but yelped when Ivy stepped into the water. Something had wrapped around her ankle. She struggled to continue making forward momentum, but another vine-like plant from the floor of the lake wrapped around her right wrist and then her other ankle.

Ivy made a fist above her head and pulled it swiftly into her chest. Cheetah drew a deep breath, realizing what would come next, and was pulled violently underwater. She flailed just below the surface as she clawed madly at her restraints. Ivy twisted her fist and another vine coiled itself around Cheetah’s neck, dragging her further into the lake, deeper underwater.

The animal gurgled from the water in her lungs, breaking the surface for a moment, but unable to get any oxygen due to the ligature. Ivy waded in to her knees, feeling the power of the plant life all around her. The water began to ripple like there was a current as Ivy heard another groan of pain from the brunette on the bank. “AND SHE WASN’T A BIMBO!” Ivy screamed. Her voice served as the ultimate call to action. The waterweeds thickened around the drowning animal until they enveloped her completely, encased her in a living coffin as Cheetah came to her final resting place at the bottom of the lake.

Poison Ivy’s chest heaved. All her anger, all her sadness…that’s what cocooned Cheetah now. What was wound tight around her, squeezing mercilessly in her watery grave. That was the same thing Pamela felt inside. Like there was a vice grip on her heart. Harley’s hands were still there, squeezing it like Ivy had forced her to do with Joker’s.

Selina Kyle was laying behind her, injured. The last selection. Ivy could make it quick and painless, just like she’d done for Harley…but what then? Who would she have then? No one. Truly not another soul on the planet that would care if she lived or died. That wouldn’t have mattered to Pamela in the past, it shouldn’t have mattered now, but…

Ivy whipped around and limped up the bank, over to the bleeding Catwoman where a camera hovered above her.

“I’m not going to kill her!” Ivy delivered straight to camera. “I’ve done enough! I gave you a show and I repented my sins against your utterly useless race. I took the life of a woman I deeply respected,” she pointed to the lake to indicate she meant Cheetah, “I took the life of the man who started all of this, and I took the life of the woman I loved.” Her voice broke, but Ivy steeled her resolve and soldiered on. “You cannot ask me to now take the life of the only friend I have left. I will not do it.” She stated emphatically. “Plan to punish me with more selections? Fine. I’ll beat them. I’ll beat them all, and I will increase the depravity of my violence with each murder until you are sick to your stomachs at even the thought of what I’m capable of, let alone the demonstration. This woman is too good to be here.” Ivy pointed to Selina who was attempting to apply pressure to the cuts in her thigh. “She took Harley and I in when we’d lost direction. She showed us kindness when we deserved none and although I resent her for it, she would drop anything to fight alongside you for the right cause.” Ivy’s eyes quickly scanned Selina’s wounds, assessing the damage. “If she dies, I don’t want it to be in my arms. She will find no comfort in my embrace. Do not fail her, again, Batman. You coward. No hero I know would let his lover bleed out in the dirt.”


	23. Chapter 23

Bruce held Selina close to his side as they entered the banquet hall. The cameras flashed and she smiled charmingly as his arm encircled her waist. They looked out onto the crowd of impeccably dressed socialites and Bruce groaned only loud enough for Selina to hear.

“Five minutes per conversation. Tops.” Bruce intoned through the gritted teeth of his smile.

“You’re going to have to give Harvey a bit more time than that. It’s his big night.” Selina reminded him, giving a friendly wave to a reporter taking her picture.

“Mr. Wayne!” another reporter shouted. “Mr. Wayne, over here.”

Bruce adjusted their position and smirked at the man, his face now drawn into a nearly identical expression to Selina’s. The two were simply of the same breed. Almost perfect human specimens cut from the same cloth. “I hear we get to meet her tonight.”

Selina gave him a barely noticeable jab to the ribs. “He’s been gushing about her nonstop. You can’t at least give her a chance?”

“He doesn’t exactly have the best track record.” Bruce chuckled.

Selina rolled her eyes. “Oh, and you do?”

“Well you’re my date tonight, aren’t you?” He nudged her playfully. “And I’m not letting you out of my sight, by the way. I’ll be checking your pockets for watches at the coat check.”

“Watches.” Catwoman scoffed. “As if I’d—“

“Bruce!” Harvey Dent bellowed from below them.

Selina and Bruce peered over the balcony. “Harv.” Bruce grinned. “We’ll be right down.” He sighed as Selina wrapped her arm around his once more. “Here goes nothing.” They began to descend the marble staircase down to the main floor.

“You’re just worried he’ll marry her and you’ll be the only eligible bachelor left in Gotham.” Selina teased.

“I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself.” Bruce murmured as he nodded politely at an associate. “He only met her a month ago.”

Selina shrugged. “I think some people just know.”

“Oh?” Bruce chuckled. “Then why aren’t we married yet?”

“Because you’re a bit of a slut, Darling.” Selina deadpanned as they rounded the corner to find a smiling Harvey Dent, looking dapper in his tuxedo, his chestnut hair impeccably styled. Selina reminded herself to ask him for the name of his hairdresser.

“Well if it isn’t the man of the hour.” Bruce grinned, gripping Harvey’s hand and patting him on the shoulder as he shook it. “How are you?”

“Fantastic.” Harvey gleamed. “It’s not every day your friend helps you finance a new penitentiary.”

“No, I imagine that would be exorbitantly expensive.” Selina winked. “Pays to be rich, I suppose.”

“You know…” Harvey took a swig of champagne, “We have a microphone over there, Ms. Kyle, if you’d like to perform your standup routine.”

“Ha ha.” Selina said, pointedly. “How about a raincheck in favor of meeting this woman we’ve heard so much about.”

“Oh, of course.” Harvey beamed, turning around and tapping a redheaded woman on the shoulder who appeared to be deeply entrenched in a conversation with a board member of the Nature Conservatory of Gotham. “I’m sorry, excuse us for a moment.” Harvey apologized to the man. “Pamela Isley, meet Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle.”

The woman turned around and for a moment, Selina understood Harvey’s instantaneous infatuation. Bright green eyes, cheek bones, plump red lips and wavy crimson locks. She was maybe the most beautiful woman never to grace the cover of a magazine. Selina tore her eyes away for a painful second to see if Bruce had noticed the woman’s ridiculous attractiveness. He had. He was blushing furiously and his sudden insecurity seemed to shake Selina out of whatever daze she was in.

“Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Isley. Harvey here has told us so much about you…”

Something flashed across the woman’s eyes, but she smiled none the less and extended her hand to Selina. “It’s Dr. Isley, actually.”

“My apologies.” Selina smirked. “The latter still stands, though. We can’t get him to shut up!”

“Is that so…” Dr. Isley winked at Harvey.

“Bruce, don’t be rude.” Selina patted him on the back while he regained control of himself. “Say hello to Dr. Isley.”

“I’m sorry.” Bruce cleared his throat. “It seems I may have been overserved.”

Selina couldn’t not roll her eyes at that. The redhead caught her in the act and giggled.

“Pam, this is the Bruce Wayne. The man who helped me make this happen.” Harvey told her.

Selina watched the woman’s lip twitch before she said, “You’re the one that helped Harvey secure the contracts from the nature conservatory?”

“The very same.” Bruce grinned. “Beautiful and a doctor? How’d you get so lucky, Harv?”

“Oh you seem to be plenty lucky yourself, Mr. Wayne.” Dr. Isley told him, her eyes locking onto Selina’s. “You two make such a handsome couple.”

“Yes.” Harvey chuckled. “The tabloids seem to think so as well. These two are always the bell of the ball.”

“Actually…” Selina smiled, nodding in the direction of a photographer as he approached, aiming his lens at Harvey and Pamela. “It appears we’ve been replaced.”

Bruce smirked. “Enjoy, Harvey. Selina and I should make our rounds, but it was truly a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Isley.”

“Oh, please, Mr. Wayne.” Pamela said, her voice sultry. “The pleasure was all mine. Perhaps we’ll be seeing more of each other.”

“Perhaps.” Selina answered for him as she pulled him away from the other couple. “Jesus.” She breathed. “Do you need to go to the restroom and take care of yourself?”

“Do you?” Bruce asked. “I’ve never seen you so flushed.”

“What?” Selina felt her cheeks, realizing they were, in fact, warm to the touch. “Yeah.” She laughed and took his hand in hers. “Let’s go.”

/

“Do not fail her again, Batman. You coward. No hero I know would let his lover bleed out in the dirt.”

Poison Ivy’s words fell like daggers. And as Bruce watched Selina writhing on the ground in pain, deep gouges marring her beautiful face, thigh and back…Ivy’s words rang true. What kind of hero would let anyone bleed out in the dirt? Especially someone they cared about.

Oracle’s phone began to buzz on the desk and Batman diverted his gaze from the screen. “What are they saying?”

“Mostly calling you a ‘chump’.” Barbara sighed, locking the phone and setting it face down in front of her. “Don’t do it, Bruce.”

“I know.” He murmured. “But I have to.”

Barbara crossed her arms. “Bruce, Poison Ivy is a terrorist. You’re not supposed to negotiate with terrorists.”

“No, Ivy’s right.” He turned on his heels towards the door. “I can’t let her be the last thing Selina sees.”

“Batman, stop.” Oracle was stern. “Why would she want to see you? You helped send her there. You put her in that situation.”

“I filed three appeals.” The Dark Knight caviled, whipping around to face her. “I did all I could.”

“No you didn’t.” Barbara shook her head. “Don’t flatter yourself by thinking you did. She’s a sacrifice just the same as Harley.”

Bruce drew his mouth into a hard line. “I’m going to get her.”

“Batman, please…” Despite the pleading nature of Oracle’s present word choice, there was nothing convincing in her tone. She was obligated to provide the voice of reason even if she didn’t want to. “What sort of message will that send to the people at home? That some lives are more important than others? That heroes can’t be objective? That villains can bend heroes to their will so long as they provide the proper leverage? I think you need to wait for Kara to talk to Superman.”

“How many viewers at home have a positive opinion of Poison Ivy now, even after she killed Harley?” Bruce demanded.

Barbara cleared her throat. “62%.”

“Then we’ve already lost them. _She_ is their hero now.” Batman growled. “And I don’t have time for this.”


	24. Chapter 24

“I don’t want him here.” Catwoman groaned. She felt as if she’d been stabbed in the eye with a sandy shovel. Her vision was blurred, her back stung where it was in contact with the ground, and her face was sticky with the blood that oozed from her cheek.

“Shush.” Ivy silenced her, unwrapping the vine from the rudimentary brace on her ankle.

“Aren’t you- mph- going to- ah- need that?” Selina gritted.

“No.” Ivy replied, curtly, as she began to wrap it tightly around Selina’s thigh, hoping to slow the bleeding.

Selina inhaled sharply and then sat up. propping herself on her elbows so she could assess the damage. “It’s- uh- it’s really not that bad.”

“She cut down to the bone here.” Ivy indicated the center track mark that Cheetah left before looking at Selina’s face for the first time. The woman’s goggles were torn apart, ripped in two…as was her right eye. “And you can’t see, can you?”

It was true- mostly. Selina could make out shapes and colors. She could see the green of Ivy’s skin and the red of her hair, but she couldn’t see the muscle and tissue spilling out from her own leg. She could feel the blood as it dripped from her, but she couldn’t see it, which gave her some plausible deniability on claiming she was fine. “I think- mmm- I think I need to upgrade my claws.”

“Let me see your back.” Ivy sighed as she helped Selina to turn over, careful not to let the open wound on her thigh touch the dirt. “Mmm.” Was the only verbal reaction Ivy provided.

“It stings like a motherfucker.” Selina whined.

“Given the size and depth of the wounds, I would expect it does more than sting.” Ivy let her lay back into a more comfortable position.

“Looks like Bruce and I won’t be such a handsome couple anymore.” Selina tried to chuckle, but it ended as more of a painful cough.

“Cosmetic surgery will do you wonders.” Ivy replied distractedly as she held the brunette’s face between her hands, examining her eye. “But I don’t believe you’ll be seeing out of this eyeball again.”

“Poetic justice.” Catwoman grunted. “You know, after Bane.”

Ivy was silent again, examining Selina like she was a plant in her lab rather than a human woman. The redhead moved closer and Selina was able to make out the outline of her lips and the electric green of her eyes.

“I thought you were so pretty.” Selina told her with a slight sigh.

“I am ‘so pretty.’” Ivy pressed lightly at one of the scratches on the brunette’s face and she inhaled sharply again.

“No.” Catwoman gritted. “I mean the night we met. At the party. You know, while you were actively poisoning Two-Face. I couldn’t believe how beautiful you were.”

“Well he was only Harvey Dent back then.” Ivy narrowed her eyes and sat on her heels, taking as much pressure off her injured ankle as possible. “This one isn’t as deep as the others.” She referred to the back wound.

Catwoman nodded slightly, appreciating the return of the cold, clinical Ivy that the moment called for. Selina was in pain and already emotional because Harley’s…demise. She needed someone to be strong for her so didn’t fall apart. “What did you think of me?” She asked. “The night we met. What was your first impression?”

Ivy sat cross-legged on the grass and took a deep breath, taking a long moment to consider the question. “I thought…” she paused to organize her thoughts, “I knew you were different from them. I knew you were too smart for that stupid show you were being forced to put on. I was grateful to have met you.”

Selina was stunned. That was, by far, the kindest thing Poison Ivy had ever said to her. The words washed over her like warm bathwater and for a moment, she felt good. “I just figured it out.” She tried to smile.

“Hm?” Pamela prompted.

“What you are to me. I could never figure out what we were on the friendship continuum.” Catwoman explained. “Because I kind of hate you, but I still choose you.” She adjusted herself and whimpered slightly at the pain, but continued as Ivy hadn’t yet interrupted her. “You’re not my friend at all. You’re my sister. I’m allowed to hate you because no matter what, you’re still here. It’s unconditional, just like…” she cleared her throat. “Just like with Harley.”

Ivy didn’t say anything, and Selina couldn’t gauge her reaction because she couldn’t see her expression…but they’d been through so much in the past week- and the last 24 hours especially- that Selina felt they both deserved a relationship that was clearly defined. Ivy had desperately wanted that with Harley, but now that she was gone, and it was just the two of them. Selina felt like she owed Ivy something- like she owed Ivy everything.

The sound of a plane overhead broke the silence. Selina’s heart lept and she looked up to the sky, even though she knew it would just appear as bright splotches of color. But then suddenly there were hands pulling her face back down and soft lips pressed against her own. It was Ivy…and Selina could feel the woman’s tears pressed against her face. Selina felt like she was drowning. She was melting into Ivy, her senses all overtaken by the woman’s scent and touch…on her lips, on cheeks…Selina wanted more, and Ivy gave it to her just for a moment, deepening the kiss before pulling away and whispering “I’m sorry.”


	25. Chapter 25

A haze was descending over Catwoman's mind. She couldn't string together a coherent sentence. They made sense in her mind, but in trying to vocalize them they'd come out convoluted, a random jumble of letters and sounds.

"Shh…I know, baby." Ivy cooed, stroking Catwoman's short black hair as she held the woman fast in her embrace. A vine reached out from Ivy's leotard and picked up the lipstick from where it lay in the ground, retracting to stay hidden among the leaves once more. "I'm sorry." She repeated. "But I have a very important task for you."

The plane was drawing nearer; they could see it over the tops of the trees as it approached at record place. Catwoman was focusing hard on getting at least one word out. She screwed her eyes shut and bit down until the words "one weapon" came stumbling out.

"You can't fault me for coming prepared." Ivy told her, voice soothing as she nuzzled her cheek into the other woman's. "If anything, fault them for failing to do their research."

The Batplane landed at the edge of the clearing and Batman jumped out without even turning off the engine. Ivy gave Selina one more reassuring squeeze before standing up and walking a few yards up the bank, placing herself squarely in Batman's path.

"How bad is it?" He asked as he approached. "Let me see her."

Ivy crossed her arms, increasing her physical imposition. "Not so fast, Batman."

"What do you want, Ivy?" He growled, desperation evident in his tone. "Do you want a fight? Is that it?" he continued to advance.

Ivy chuckled. "Oh, no, Darling. I don't want a fight. I want revenge."

"For who? For Harley?" Batman demanded.

"Yes of course for Harley, you sack of rodent excrement." Ivy spat. "You have now entered into the arena, and so you will meet a challenger just like the rest of us."

"Then let's go." He gritted. "I don't have time for this."

"Seems as if there's been a misunderstanding…I am not your challenger, Batman." She stepped aside and his eyes fell on Catwoman who'd been willed to her feet. "Now you will know how it feels to murder the woman you love.

"No." Batman was reeling. "I'm not going to kill her. I would never kill her."

"You know…I once thought the same thing about Harley." Ivy forced Selina forward, the lipstick allowing her to control the woman's movements like she would a plant. "And would you look how that turned out."

"Pamela, stop this!" Batman bellowed. "Selina is your friend!"

"No." Ivy grinned, her green eyes flashing. "She's my sister, and we unfortunately have a rather dysfunctional family dynamic."

"She's hurt. She can barely stand. She's bleeding!" Batman tried to reason with her.

"Mind over matter, Darling." Ivy stepped back behind Catwoman as her claws shot out of the tips of her gloves. "She won't stop until one of you is dead, of that I can assure you.

"You won't get away with this." Batman growled.

"Are you thinking your hero friends will come to your rescue?" Ivy chuckled. "Seems to me you've betrayed them. You violated the rules of the game to save a villain. Tell me, Batman, what makes this one so special?"

"Pamela, stop. You don't have to do this. You're better than this, I've seen it." Batman pleaded.

"Unfortunately, you made the mistake of sending my incentive in here with me. I don't like being manipulated, Batman." A cruel smile once again licked at the corners of her mouth. "May Hera take pity on your soul, and may the odds be ever in your favor."

Catwoman lunged forward with a hiss and a swipe, and Batman narrowly avoided her sudden charge, ducking just under her claw. He reached for a batarang from his utility belt as Catwoman squared up for another pass.

"Oh good." Ivy paced leisurely behind Catwoman. "That should inflict maximum damage."

Batman faltered, and in that moment of hesitation, Catwoman pounced, whipping her leg around and connecting with his temple. "Mph" he grunted and wobbled on his feet.

Catwoman tried to make another move, but he was prepared this time and caught her wrist as she went to scratch him. She used his grip like a lever, swinging herself forward and landing both her heels squarely in his stomach. He stumbled back once more and dropped his grip. Catwoman advanced, her lack of eyesight inconsequential with Ivy at the helm.

"Catwoman is one of the most talented martial artists in the world, Batman." Ivy reminded him. "I would recommend not taking it easy on her."

Selina came in quickly, and Batman raised his arm to land a blow, but Catwoman ducked, sliding on the ground and using her foot to whip his legs out from under him.

"Selina, don't." He implored as she raised her whip. "I don't want to hurt you."

"We find that statement demeaning." Ivy sneered. "And it's not her choice anyway."

CRACK!

The leather whip snapped across his abdomen and he hissed in pain, then his body's natural response kicked in and he grabbed Catwoman's arm, twisting it painfully. She couldn't vocalize it, but from her expression it was clear the position was none too comfortable.

Selina somehow leveraged herself to get her boot at Batman's throat. She pressed, using the strength of his grip on her arm against him, until they heard a SNAP and he had to let go of the fractured thing out of disgust for the disfigurement he'd caused.

"Can you feel her pain, Batman? In your chest, can you feel the weight of it?" Ivy demanded. "Because I could! I could feel the pain I had caused. Can you?"

Tears were once again streaming down Catwoman's face, but she still used her functional arm to scratch him, ripping the chest of his costume.

"Please make her stop!" Batman pleaded as he grabbed Selina around the throat. "She's your friend."

"So was Harley! Now she's laying in a shallow grave!" Ivy raged. "All thanks to you!"

"I didn't make you kill Harley." He gritted as he wrestled himself on top of Catwoman.

"YOU TOLD ME JOKER WAS BACK! YOU TOLD ME HE WOULD COME FOR HARLEY! YOU LURED ME TO THAT WAREHOUSE! YOU KIDNAPPED ME AND PUT ME HERE! OF COURSE YOU MADE ME DO IT! YOU MADE ME DO ALL OF THIS!" Roots shot up from the ground around her, twisting in the air with no real purpose, just the physical embodiment of her fury.

The sun began to set rapidly and only a sliver of the moon took its place. "Oh, what?" Ivy addressed the sky. "You don't want to watch anymore? You've had your fill of depravity? Too bad!" She grabbed one of the flying cameras with a root and positioned it directly above Batman and Catwoman.

Selina swiped desperately at Batman's exposed chin. Finally making contact, she left a deep gash where he wasn't protected by his cowl. He had no choice but to press her further into the grass.

"She's already lost too much blood, Batman." Ivy was strangely calm, now in control of the situation, watching her only friend sputter and choke. "The least you can do is put her out of her misery."

Batman looked down at Selina and saw the tears leaking from her mangled eyes and the blood from the slashes on her cheek.

"Go ahead." Ivy urged. "Be her hero."


	26. Chapter 26

Supergirl blew through the double doors of the control room, nearly knocking them off their hinges. “Barbara!”

“Stop entering like that!” The redhead shot over her shoulder, an unusual franticness to her voice.

Kara flew to the back of Barbara’s chair, standing over her. “Do something!”

“All I can do is effect the environment! I can make the sun set and rise, I can change the weather conditions, or I can open the arena. That’s it.” Barbara again tried and failed to free the camera that Ivy was holding in place with a root.

“Then open the arena.” Supergirl urged.

“And let Poison Ivy loose when she’s this pissed? No way, Kara.” Oracle shook her head vehemently. “She’ll tear the city apart. I’ve seen it.”

“Well you have to do something!” Kara told her, forcing herself to watch as Batman grabbed Catwoman around the neck. “Turn the cameras off, at least.”

Barbara again tried to hack her own system. “I can’t. The feed is hardwired. To shut it down I’d have to shut down the whole arena.”

“Then drop the temperature.” Supergirl suggested. “Plants don’t like the cold.”

/

Catwoman writhed around on the ground, landing blows as often as she could, but her skin was beginning to pale from blood loss and Ivy could tell it would be over soon.

Ivy paced back and forth, her roots still twisting in the air around her, ensuring that Batman wouldn’t dare attack her, not when taking into account the sharp ends of the snake-like wooden lengths and Joker’s gruesome demise. Ivy never broke eye contact with Catwoman. Although she knew she should be reveling in the pain this was causing Batman, little things were beginning to come back to her…Selina taking she and Harley in, the arguments yes, but the comradery always. Selina helping to clear her name of those murders in the park, rescuing her from that pit, helping to defeat Ivy’s one true equal, and then here, mourning Harley with her, laying the jester to rest in her grave, sharing her stories, helping to defeat Cheetah…Selina truly was her friend, and yes, her sister. Perhaps Batman wasn’t the only one Ivy was hurting…She watched the anguish on Selina’s face as she fought and clawed at the man on top of her, only able to grunt in pain because Ivy kept the woman’s mouth clamped shut. 

Pamela began to let go, to relinquish her grip on Catwoman’s mind, but then Batman spoke up once more.

“Think about Harley, Pamela! She wouldn’t want this!” He may as well have thrown a Molotov cocktail at a bonfire.

The roots grew thicker- stronger, and rose higher out of the ground, whipping about violently in the air. Ivy’s eyes blazed and her hair floated as if lifted on a wind that existed only for her. “HARLEY BETRAYED ME AND HARLEY IS GONE! IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT HARLEY WANTED; SHE’S NOT HERE!” A vine wrapped around Batman’s waist and lifted him upwards. He reached quickly for a batarang, but found that his utility belt was gone, and as he looked at the ground below him, he saw it dangling from Catwoman’s palm.

“Remember when I was able to exist without Harley?” Ivy asked, her rhetorical question sounding almost genuine. “When no one cared what that FUCKING IMBICILE did? WELL I DO! SHE MADE ME WEAK! She sapped every last morsel of energy from me, and I asked for one thing in return, JUST ONE! Her loyalty, that’s it! Simple concept, right? Well EVIDENTLY NOT!” The root slammed Batman into the ground and drew him back up, another joining to tighten around his legs. “I am POISON IVY! I AM NO ONE’S SIDEKICK. I AM AT NO ONE’S BECKON CALL. I AM NO ONE’S DOORMAT. THIS IS MY DOMAIN!” This time, she slammed Batman down so hard the ground shook. “What did he have that I didn’t? Was I not sick enough? Not TWISTED enough?!” Slam. “Was it that I didn’t have a COCK?” Slam. “That I did not DESECRATE her?” Slam.

Catwoman was able to pull herself over onto her stomach and began to crawl through the grass towards Ivy. Ivy wasn’t truly paying attention, she was seeing red. Didn’t care much about Batman either, at this point. She was furious at a woman who would never hear her. Batman being tangled up in her roots was just an unfortunate coincidence for him.

“My mother told me that no one would love me if I were unattractive.” Ivy continued, slamming Batman into the earth once more. “But look at me!” Slam. “I am the most beautiful woman on the PLANET but Harley STILL,” slam, “WOULDN’T,” slam, “LOVE ME!” She threw Batman’s unconscious form against a tree. “WHY WAS I NEVER ENOUGH?!”

“Red…” Catwoman croaked as she grabbed hold of Ivy’s leg. “Red, stop.”

“W—“ Pamela faltered, the words catching in her throat as she looked down at the broken Catwoman at her feet. “Why are we here?” Her voice cracked, coming out tired and gravelly.

“R…Red,” Catwoman raised a shaky arm and pointed at Batman, who was slumped over against the tree trunk by Harley’s grave.

Ivy took a shaky breath, feeling herself slowly come down, her heartrate evening. As she lost some of the adrenaline, she began to notice the cold creeping in. She held her hand out for a snowflake as Selina moaned with pain once more. Ivy understood what she wanted. She picked her up in her arms the same way she’d done Harley and walked her over to the tree, reverently laying the woman’s head down on Batman’s lap.

Ivy just stood there, watching them, knowing that Batman probably wasn’t finished because he just had a way of cheating his way out of death, but wanting to give Selina some degree of serenity in her final moments. Because ultimately, no matter how many times the two chose another, they’d always choose each other in the end. Ivy didn’t check Batman’s pulse, nor Selina’s. She could see the life slowly draining out of her with the blood. Although the now freezing temperatures were aiding in the coagulation, it was clear that the bleeding wouldn't stop. It was far too late.

The redhead glanced over her shoulder, seeing that she’d maintained the capture of the flying camera. She beckoned the root over and it held the thing above her, pointing the lens right at the two broken bodies. Slowly, Ivy leaned forward and grabbed Batman by the ears of his cowl, pulling it back off his head to reveal the battered face of Bruce Wayne.

She turned to the camera, her voice quieter than before and her chest deflated. “Your heroes are not gods. They’re just men in masks. Beware of false prophets.”


	27. Chapter 27

_He’s outside._

Pamela’s eyes shot open, her heart already beating fast in her chest. A quick glance at her alarm clock told her it was almost 4am. Harley was sound asleep besides her, sprawled out ridiculously, as per usual. Ivy quietly pulled the blankets off of her legs and transferred her weight onto the cool wood floor. Harley only stirred slightly when Ivy exited the bed, but the redhead held her breath all the same, waiting until the jester was still once more to exhale.

She took her robe off of its hook and wrapped it tightly around her shoulders, then padded quietly to their bedroom door, slipping out into the hallway and easing the door shut behind her. There was a light still on in the living room, meaning Selina likely wasn’t home yet. Harley and Ivy had elected to sit out tonight’s job, just wasn’t substantial enough for all three sirens to get involved, so Catwoman had gone alone.

Ivy’s plants were directing her to the large window in the kitchen. That was a good sign, she supposed. If Batman were here to arrest her he’d probably just come through the front. Not that he had any grounds for arrest…at the moment, at least. The Sirens were pulling mostly petty jobs these days, the threat of the arena rather than a stay at Arkham making some of their usually more eye-catching stunts less appealing. Harley and Ivy were now under the Catwoman umbrella that shielded them from scrutiny for most thefts. Ivy was beginning to understand and appreciate the benefits of the whole BatCat thing. He was probably here to see Selina. That made the most sense. He just didn’t know she was out.

Ivy could see the silhouette of his cowl and broad shoulders looming in the window. She prepared her plants just in case his intentions were less than amicable. Vines spilled from their pots along the hallway and slithered dutifully at her feet, as if she was the mother and they were her ducklings. Batman didn’t move once he saw her vines approaching- another good sign.

The redhead unlatched the window and swung it open. “Batman…a late night rendezvous? To what do I owe the honor?” Her words came out more sarcastic and less sultry than usual. 

Batman didn’t seem to be in the mood for games either. “He’s back, Pamela.”

Ivy cleared her throat, knowing instantly who ‘he’ was. “In Gotham?” She asked, obviously wondering why The Dark Knight himself had traveled to the outskirts of town to deliver her- a villain, a sworn enemy- this information.

Batman nodded. “He’s going to come for her.” His tone was clip like always.

Again Pamela knew exactly who he was referring to. The redhead shrugged, confident in her abilities even at 4am in a bathrobe. “Let him come. He doesn’t hold a candle to me.”

“She’ll leave again.” The Dark Knight intoned. “She can’t resist him, Ivy, you know that.”

“Well no one can resist me.” Ivy scoffed.

“Except for Harley.” Batman reminded her. “She’ll relapse. You know she will.”

The two stood there, watching each other in silence for another few moments before Ivy’s jaw slackened slightly and she asked, “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I need your help. I don’t want him in the arena again. People at home don’t need to see that.” Batman explained.

Ivy narrowed her eyes. “So what are you asking me? To take care of him? I thought you were against that.”

“The world is different now. Joker is a sacrifice I’m willing to make.” Batman turned to leave. “Meet me at the docks”

“She’ll never forgive me.” Ivy told him, her voice smaller than usual.

“She doesn’t have to know.” Batman said over his shoulder, and then he was gone, swallowed by the night.

Ivy immediately started back towards her bedroom, stripping the robe off as she went. She silently crept inside, checking to make sure Harley was still asleep before she began the arduous process of growing a leotard. The redhead gripped the dresser and let out a whimper of pain as the leaves grew over her skin, finally settling into the shape of her famous costume.

“What er ya getting’ all dressed up for, Red?” Harley yawned, sitting up slightly.

Ivy froze, the look of guilt on her face unmistakable. “I’m going out.”

“Well I can see that, silly.” The jester giggled. “I ain’t that stupid.”

“You’re not stupid at all, Harley.” Ivy snapped, making Harley jump a bit.

The blonde regarded the other woman cautiously. “Yeesh, Ives…Ok…sure, I ain’t stupid. You ain’t pullin’ a job without me though, are ya?”

“No.” Ivy shook her head as stepped into her boots. “I need to take care of something in the greenhouse.”

Harley looked concerned. “Uh, oh. Got a weed problem, Pammy?”

“Something like that.” Ivy admitted as she crossed over to the bed and cupped Harley’s face in her hands. “Promise me you’ll be here when I get back?”

Harley leaned forward and gave her a quick and awkward peck on the nose before pushing herself back into the soft pillows. With her eyes closed she said, “If I have ta be too patient I’m gonna need a present…like maybe some…special attention.” She waggled her eyebrows, and even with her eyes closed she looked ridiculous.

“Deal.” Ivy almost smiled.

She made it into the hallway and was almost out the door when she heard a window open and Catwoman slide through, carrying a backpack full of loot from that night’s adventures.

“Where are you going dressed like that?” Selina asked before her boots even touched the ground.

“Can’t you use the door?” Ivy asked, ignoring her question. “We have a door.”

“Element of surprise.” Catwoman replied absently, pulling her cowl off of her head. “Where are you going?”

“I don’t see why it matters.” Ivy tried to sound nonchalant.

“It matters because if I have to split my scores with you two, you have to return the favor.” The brunette explained, setting her backpack down on the table.

“I remember our deal.”

Selina looked her friend up and down once more. “You know they’re opening the selection process again, right?”

Ivy sighed. “It is that time of year again.”

“Mmm…” Catwoman nodded, never breaking eye contact. “Are you taking care of yourself?”

“Do I look unwell?” Was Ivy’s retort. When Selina didn’t answer Ivy continued what should have been a quick journey to the front door.

“Wait.” Catwoman stopped her again. Ivy heard some rustling and turned around, Selina was digging in her bag and eventually produced two gold bracelets. “Here.” She tossed them to Ivy who caught them, her skeptical expression never faltering. “If you need it, those are worth plenty.”

“Thank you…” Ivy told her, clearly not fully understanding the gesture.

“Harley’s not going?” The brunette raised an eyebrow.

Ivy shook her head. “Not this time.”

Selina nodded as if she understood, but Ivy knew there was no way she could…unless Batman had told her about Joker too…

“Goodbye, Ivy.” Catwoman’s word’s had a strange finality to them.

“I’ll see you when I get back.” Ivy twisted the door’s handle. “Harley can make her own breakfast. Tell her there are toaster waffles in the freezer.”

Catwoman gave her a small salute. “Will do.”

/

Poison Ivy sat with her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, rocking back and forth. Although the broken bodies of Batman and Catwoman sat just in front of her, she didn’t look at them, but through them, rather. Her vision was glazed over, her eyes glassy, face puffy, her costume shedding leaves with each movement. This was not the Poison Ivy people had come to know.

“Bury me, bury me, bury me…” she repeated over and over again, and then, every so often- “I DON’T WANT TO GROW BACK!” She’d rock some more and then ask, “Kitty?” In a voice that sounded more like Harley’s than her own. “Pretty Kitty, Pretty Kitty…”

Ivy had quickly unraveled after unmasking Batman. She’d paced for a bit, obviously waiting for Batman to wake up, but when he didn’t…her posture changed, lost its confidence. She began to shake. Just occasional tremors at first, a twitch every few steps…but then it escalated to an itching on her scalp that no matter how hard she scratched, how deep she pressed her finger nails, she could not satiate.

Soon after, the laughing began. It wasn’t high and maniacal like Harley’s; it was a chuckle that came from low in her throat. It was…villainous, like the evil queen in a fantasy film. Her eyes lost their glow and her roots retracted back into the ground, no longer able to understand the signals they were receiving from her.

And now Ivy was rocking. Between her mumbling she’d occasionally reach a hand out to touch Selina’s face, but always retracted it before she made contact, hissing “poison” each time. “A late night rendezvous? Oh change the record, Harl! No man can take us prisoner. If you had a middle name, it would be welcome.” She spoke in broken, bizarre phrases, rattling them off one after the other. “There’s no time to panic, there’s no time for anything, in fact…it costs money to raise a family, and I meant it when I said I wanted a family that loves me,” she stood up, her voice less dissociative and more frustrated now, “I just wanted it on my terms. Hey!” she whipped her head around, “She’s got a point, Harl. Oh, please, call me Poison Ivy.”

Her own name seemed to remind her of something because she suddenly stopped moving and looked down at the unmasked Batman. “I won.” She said, her face lighting up with realization. “I won! I am Gotham City’s greatest adversary, I defeated Batman! Batman is dead you sorry meatsacks…Weak man, weak MEN, all of you! All of YOU!” She grabbed a camera that was flying too close to her face with her bare hands and began thwacking it against the tree trunk behind Batman and Catwoman.

/

Oracle and Supergirl watched the scene in horror. Both motionless, the only sound in the room (other than Ivy’s voice) being the occasional buzz of Barbara’s cellphone on the desk.

“Is he…?” Kara eventually ventured.

“I don’t…” Both girls were too in shock to fully articulate much of anything.

“Ivy is…”

“Sick.” Barbara finished Kara’s sentence. “Where’s Superman?”

“I don’t know.” Kara whispered. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t…” Barbara swallowed. “I don’t know.” Then suddenly, as Barbara watched Poison Ivy smash the camera against the tree, its mechanics sparking and fizzling, she did know what to do. She knew what she had to do.

Oracle leaned forward and switched the precipitation from rain to snow, then slowly eased the arena’s environment from 20 degrees F to a much more pleasant 65 degrees, and then warmer, until she’d created the conditions for a tropical storm.

Ivy didn’t stop when the thunder began, and she didn’t stop when the first bolt of lightning flicked across the sky.

If Barbara timed it just right…3…2…1…she directed the energy of the storm into a focused bolt and it streaked downwards, connecting with the tree just as yet another merciless swing of the camera from ivy hit the trunk. And then simple science prevailed. The moist tissues of the tree served as a conductor for the electricity, blowing the trunk apart. Ivy was hit hard with a chunk of wood, blowing her back a good 10 feet. And there she lay, immobilized for just long enough for Oracle to send a second strike.


	28. Chapter 28

“BARBARA!” Supergirl screamed as the strike left the carcass blackened and smoking. “WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?”

“I…” The redhead was starring wide-eyed at her monitor. “I killed Poison Ivy.”

“WHY?” Kara grabbed her friend by the shoulders. “She won, Barbara! You can’t kill the winner!”

“B-b-but…” Oracle stuttered. “She killed Bruce.”

“Barbara…” Kara began, but was interrupted by the violent buzzing of the redhead’s cellphone. “We’re so screwed.” She began to pace, her body a bundle of nervous energy. “Why did you let Bruce go in?”

Barbara’s voice was shaky. “He was going to save Catwoman.”

“WHY DIDN’T HE CALL FOR BACKUP?” Supergirl demanded.

“You think they would have given it to him?!” Barbara’s voice rose as well; she’d been shaken from her trance. “You think they’d help him save a villain?!”

“Well, n---no.” Kara’s expression sunk.

“What did Superman say?” Barbara asked, switching to the offensive stance. “When you talked to him, what did he say?”

Kara stared at her feet. “He said he would re-evaluate after we crowned a winner. The winner that you just killed!”

“Supergirl! Batman, my mentor, hero of Gotham City, founding member of the Justice League, is dead! He’s fucking dead, Kara!” There was panic in the former Batgirl’s voice. “What was I supposed to do? Poison Ivy lost it! She absolutely lost it, Kara! There’s no way we could let her back on the street!”

“So you executed her?” Supergirl was horrified. “That’s not what we stand for! We are the Justice League. The rules are, if you win the game, you’re granted amnesty. She won, Barbara. She won fair and square. Three times, she won!”

“She killed every person in her life! She wasn’t getting better; she was going to get worse!” Barbara argued, her hands shaking as the situation truly began to sink in. The vibrations of the vitriol of billions insistent and deafening as both women tried to ignore the cellphone.

“Oh and who’s fault is that?!” Supergirl demanded. “Catwoman didn’t need to be there. We know it, they know it, everybody knows it. What the hell is going on, Barbara? Why were there five Gotham villains in the arena? It’s always been two from each hero’s city!”

“I don’t know, OK?!” Barbara pushed herself away from the desk. “Bruce had a plan to end the arena. He said he was sacrificing Harley and Ivy to prove villains were capable of growth.”

Supergirl furrowed her brow, trying desperately to understand the logic. “Batman was purposefully riling up the public?”

Oracle nodded. “He said change needed to come from outside. He said they’d only listen to—“

“What have you done?” A commanding female voice sounded from the doorway, stopping Barbara mid-sentence. Diana Prince stood just inside the control room dressed in a pencil skirt and red V-neck T-shirt. Even out of her Wonder Woman uniform, the goddess was intimidating (to say the least). As she walked towards the younger women, Supergirl automatically straightened her posture, nearly standing at attention. Wonder Woman didn’t even acknowledge the blonde, her white hot gaze was aimed directly at Oracle. “Why was our winner struck with a bolt of lightning?”

“She…she killed Batman.” Barbara breathed.

A look of pain flashed across Diana’s face. “Why was he in there?” She asked with less anger to her voice. “Was it…for her?”

Barbara nodded, tears welling up in her eyes as Wonder Woman stared her down. “There was nothing I could do. I designed the arena so that a villain like Livewire couldn’t overload the system to help her escape. Once you’re in, you’re in.” She removed her glasses to wipe away the salty liquid that was gathering beneath them. “I didn’t think about the lightning until after she…it was too late.”

Diana cleared her throat. “You are not to take responsibility for Bruce’s actions, Barbara. He broke the established protocol. He aggravated a volatile situation. That is not your fault.”

“Why didn’t you save him?” Supergirl spoke up from behind the raven-haired goddess.

Wonder Woman sighed like it pained her. “I’m afraid his Poison Ivy was right. Batman entered the arena, he had to face a challenger. He died an honorable death fighting for the woman he loved. I do not fault him for where his loyalty lay. We will need to craft a statement on your behalf for the untimely death of the victor.” Wonder Woman changed the subject. “I’m sure many will be frustrated; I know this woman was a bit of a…fan favorite. Get a body-copter out there immediately. Seems you’ll need to send three—“

“No.” Kara stated firmly.

Diana raised a dark eyebrow at the girl.

“I’ll bring Batman back.” The blonde continued. “He’s a hero. He deserves a hero’s burial.”

Wonder Woman regarded the girl curiously before nodding to indicate the granting of her permission. “I’m sorry for your loss.” She told Barbara. “Hera smiles upon him.” She left in an elegant medley of clacking heels.

Barbara began to truly cry then. Mourning the loss of the man who’d seen potential in her. The first person to call her a hero, to give her a chance to change this world for the better. Her second father. Her mentor. Her friend.

Supergirl knelt down and wrapped her arms around the other girl’s waist, laying her head on Barbara’s lap and providing all the comfort that she could.

“I fucked up.” Barbara sniffed. “I could have saved him. I didn’t have to kill her.”

“It all happened too fast.” Kara soothed. “You made a mistake…but you can’t take it back. We’ll all do what we can to fix it.” She raised her head to look up at her friend. “I’m going to bring him home, alright?”

Barbara nodded. “Alright.”

Supergirl left and Barbara was all alone with her guilt. A young woman who had already seen so much tragedy, who had already lost more than most might in a lifetime. Batman was gone along with three more pieces of the memory of her former life. As Batgirl, she sprinted across rooftops, outsmarting and outmaneuvering criminals- a purveyor of justice. Now she sat in a chair behind a desk watching those villains- the ones she’d thought of as her own- meet their violent ends. Barbara had watched the demise of the Sirens, falling one by one, each death uniquely heartbreaking. And it was Barbara who’d ended the team for good, officially wiping the Sirens from the face of the earth with a brilliant flash of light.

Oracle morosely pulled herself back to the desk and- as if on autopilot- began the cleaning process she did every year after the arena was over. She opened a file containing the list of this year’s selections and went about deleting their files permanently. Barbara took a moment longer with the Sirens.

Harley’s face was absolutely black and blue in her mugshot. Dark bruises covering nearly the entirety of her supple skin. Barbara remembered Bruce telling her about that. Joker had beat her to a pulp and left her in an alley to die. Batman stumbled upon her almost by accident, and it was a good thing he did, the night was cold and her leg was broken in two places. Barbara cleared her throat and pressed delete. Goodbye Harleen Quinzel.

Catwoman didn’t have a formal mugshot, just blurry photos of her from afar and the occasional security camera screenshot. She truly was the greatest thief Gotham had ever seen. Barbara remembered Catwoman, with all her elegance and grace, coming unmasked to Bat-family traditions. Holiday parties mostly, but how could she forget the odd mornings when she ran into the half-dressed Selina in Bruce’s kitchen. “Staying out of trouble?” Babs would ask. “Always.” Selina would wink over the brim of her coffee mug. Delete. Goodbye Selina Kyle.

Lastly…Poison Ivy stared up at Barbara with her haunting green eyes…but unlike the others, there was a second attachment in her file. A video. The time stamp said it was taken 6 months ago…that was around the time Ivy entered into the arena. Oracle glanced quickly over her shoulder before pressing play.

The angle and quality of the video told Barbara it was taken by a security camera, this one recording the interior of what looked like a shipping container, one you would find at the docks. It was mostly dark, the moonlight spilling in from the cracked door the only source of illumination. Even so, Barbara could make out a human form- a woman, by the looks of it. There wasn’t any audio, but the former Batgirl could tell someone was approaching because the shadowed figure crouched into what seemed to be a ‘ready position’. Then there were hands on the door- male hands- pulling it open. Things happened quickly after that. There was a flash of golden light and the male hands harshly shoved another female into the darkened room. The light was emitting from a rope. A lasso, actually, and it wrapped around the other woman and slammed her forward onto the ground. The door was opened wider and the man was now unmistakably Batman, the first woman Wonder Woman, and the second…Ivy?

Barbara couldn’t believe she was watching Wonder Woman hogtie Poison Ivy. The redhead struggled and kicked, but her strength alone was no match for Wonder Woman’s lasso. Ivy’s plant powers were also of little help at the docks since the water was fairly toxic and supported very little plant life.

Ivy was screaming something- anguish evident on her face- but without the volume Oracle couldn’t figure it out on her own. So she isolated that portion of the video and ran it through a recognition software that attempted to match the movement of Ivy’s lips to a phrase. It only took a few moments for the computer to spit out its guess, but there it was… “If you take me she’ll go back to him! He’ll kill her! Please!”


	29. Chapter 29

Bruce started to come around a lot more often after Ivy left, and honestly, Selina thought that was strange. Even stranger, he’d always ask about Harley first. In the beginning, Selina’s answer to “how is she” would be “she’s fine.” Catwoman thought for sure his sudden interest in her eccentric roommate would blow his cover, but Harley’s mind was elsewhere. She was distracted, antsy, clearly craving the affection she’d lost. She liked when Bruce came over, though. Harley liked Bruce, for some reason. Probably because he sometimes brought her presents. Stuffed animals, mostly, horses and bunnies and puppies…But one day he came with a pot of crimson chrysanthemums.

Harley regarded them apprehensively. “Who are those for?”

Bruce smiled charmingly, his blue eyes sparkling. “I just thought you might like to have a plant around. Breath some life into the place.”

“We already have a whole bunch’a plants.” Harley pouted.

“I know.” Bruce’s voice was warm and comforting. “But this one’s special.”

“Oh, yeah?” The jester arched a blonde eyebrow. “Why’s that?”

“Well, according to the clerk at the nursery…” he glanced over at Selina to include her in the conversation. She came to stand by his side. “Chrysanthemums, which is every bit as hard to spell as it sounds, are usually lavender. But these are…”

“Red.” Harley melted into a silly grin and grabbed for the flowers.

“Uh uh uh,” Bruce wagged his finger and Harley returned to her exaggerated pout. “Flowers have to be taken care of. They need sun and water or else they’ll wither and die. You can’t just…leave it. A flower is a responsibility.”

“Ya, ya, sure thing, Brucie. Now gimme gimme.” The jester held her hands out like a child expecting Ice cream at the parlor.

“That was…nice of you.” Selina slinked up next to him after Harley skipped away happily, plant in hand. “Not exactly subtle, but still nice.”

“As if Harley Quinn has ever appreciated subtlety.” Bruce chuckled before his voice turned sincere. “How has it been on you?”

“What? Keeping Harley out of trouble?” Selina asked.

Bruce leaned back against the kitchen counter. “Pamela leaving.”

“You’re asking how I feel about Poison Ivy no longer freeloading at my house?” Catwoman was incredulous.

A cocky smirk played at Bruce’s lips. “I thought you invited her here.”

“It’s all about context.” Selina huffed, pinning him against the counter with her eyes. “If I’m being honest, though, it’s been a lot harder to deal with Harley. That was sweet that you brought her the flowers, but I don’t know how much longer she’ll want to stay here without her. She needs something I just can’t give her.”

“No?” Bruce raised a mocking eyebrow.

Catwoman rolled her eyes. “No. Believe it or not, female friendships aren’t just scantily clad games of truth or dare and lesbian innuendo.”

“I feel like I’ve been lied to.” Bruce laughed.

Selina forced away the smirk that was threatening her steely expression and took Bruce by the hand. “Come on.” She pulled him away from the counter. “You’re getting laid for the flowers, but I’ll be calling Alfred to come and pick you up if you say one more stupid thing about my gay roommate and her psychotic girlfriend.”

Bruce couldn’t help it. “Which is which?”

“That’s it!” Selina dropped his hand. “Alfred! Come get your man-child!”

/

Barbara knew what this video meant. What it would mean to the league, to the world…this looked like cruelty, plain and simple. Those living outside Gotham City might not know Poison Ivy’s history. Their only impression of her would be what they saw in the arena, in which she came off very sympathetic despite the 18 people she’d murdered. Wonder Woman and Batman’s actions in the video would seem like a human rights violation. The latest polls already showed the Justice League’s approval rating plummeting to 33%. If this video came to light…

Barbara took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes, feeling her eyelids droop from the strain of crying earlier. Batman had wanted to end The Arena, so much so that he was willing to, and ultimately did, directly disobey the protocol he’d help to establish. He had rigged the games this year. The female villains always polled better than the male ones. They were nearly always more sympathetic to the viewers at home, and the hotter they were the more people tended to root for them. Straight as Barbara was, there was no denying Ivy, Harley and Catwoman’s attractiveness. Barbara knew Batman had looked at the data. He’d chosen the best players for his game, but then ultimately committed the mortal sin he’d avoided in his career previously- underestimated Poison Ivy. But Batman was a hero. He’d dedicated his life to the cause of Justice. But with all that had happened since Lois Lane’s death, the league Batman helped create was more ‘injustice’ than ‘justice’ at this point. Batman believed in second chances. No soul was truly lost. Certainly not Harley, Ivy or Catwoman. Batman understood there was no such thing as black and white, only gray area. As Batgirl, Barbara had understood that as well and now, as Oracle, she was not a member of the Justice League. She still belonged to the Bat-family.

Oracle navigated to her personal Barbara Gordon twitter account and took a deep breath before typing, “I was Batgirl. Not a God, just a girl in a mask. Joker took my legs, he was evil. I killed Poison Ivy, I am evil #Injustice”. Using every last drop of courage she possessed, she pressed ‘send’. Then quickly, before she lost her edge, she sent the security tape as well with the caption “Justice? I say #Injustice”.

It didn’t take long for people to notice. It was six seconds before the first retweet. 10 minutes before it was picked up by a news site. Then it was everywhere. ‘#Injustice’ trending nationally first, and then spreading around the world, ‘#BatgirlUnmasked’ not far behind. Barbara knew what she’d done. She’d changed the world forever.

Her phone wasn’t just lighting up with tweets, but calls, texts and emails as well. Facebook messages and Instagram DMs…Barbara calmly reached over and took the battery out of her phone, bracing herself for what would inevitably come next.


	30. Chapter 30

"Barbara?" Jessica Cruz said from the doorway.

Oracle turned around with a sigh. "Any idea where you're taking me?"

"To The Watchtower." The young Lantern told her, her tone as friendly as was possible given the present situation.

Barbara nodded gravely. She had no idea what awaited her up there, but she did know that the prospect of being isolated in outer space with people she'd just condemned to the entire world didn't exactly make her feel at ease. "Did they ask you to take me forcefully?"

"They said you'd come willingly." Jessica told her.

Oracle nodded and began pushing her wheelchair towards the door.

"Would you like help? I can push you." The Lantern offered.

"No." Barbara shook her head. "I can do it myself." It had been two hours since she'd sent the tweet. In that time, Wonder Woman had given a press conference assuring the public that the actions of their Game Maker were completely necessary and truly the most humane way to deal with the volatile Poison Ivy.

"Can you confirm the Game Maker is Barbara Gordon? Formerly known as Batgirl?" One of the reporters had shouted.

Wonder Woman looked stunned. "Where did you get that ridiculous notion?" She'd asked.

"Barbara Gordon herself, Ma'am. She took personal responsibility for the Poison Ivy murder on twitter."

"Well that's just silly." Wonder Woman somehow remained collected. "There is no verifiable evidence to back up Ms. Gordon's claim. We have no affiliation."

"And that's the official stance of the Justice League?" Another reporter asked.

"Yes. That's all for now." The goddess snapped her binder shut and exited the podium.

38 minutes later Wonder Woman had to return to the podium to retract that statement. As careful as the Bat-family was about protecting their identities, once the press had a lead, it wasn't terribly difficult to make some meaningful connections. So the League was forced to disavow Barbara and her actions. It wasn't long after that Jessica Cruz showed up in the control room to take Barbara away.

The redhead propelled herself down the hall, the Lantern keeping pace beside her. She could see the press gathering outside the glass doors and had to stop for a moment to gather herself. To her surprise, Jessica rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and after a deep breath, Barbara Gordon wheeled herself out into the blinding sunlight- unmasked.

But it wasn't just press on the steps of the Hall of Justice. It was protesters too. Thousands of them already. It looked like there were representatives from both sides of the argument- for and against The Arena. The sound was incredible, the chanting so loud that Jessica couldn't hear when Barbara asked her "How are we going to get out of here?" Not that she would have had much time to respond, as the press were storming the steps, the protesters not far behind. And now Barbara and Jessica were pinned.

"Step back!" The Lantern told them, but her voice was drowned out by the muddled chanting. "I SAID STEP BACK!"

"Ring!" Barbara yelled over the noise, pointing to her 4th digit. "Use the ring!"

Jessica nodded in understanding, yelling one more "Step back!" before activating her ring. Green light began to emanate, growing rapidly until it cocooned the two women within a force field that allowed them to push their way through the crowd. But as they passed by the press, the chanting began to grow louder. Barbara could feel the vitriol seeping through the force field and Jessica became more and more frustrated as the protesters began banging their fists on the glowing green surface.

"What's going on?" Barbara asked as the Lantern's expression turned from frustration to anguish, and then anguish to fear. The walls of the force field were beginning to close in on them. "Jessica, what's going on?! Barbara asked a bit more frantically as the protesters continued to beat on their shield.

"I…it's…" Jessica struggled. "I'm afraid…I…I can't…"

And suddenly there was a sound like a dirigible being popped and the chaos was that of an entirely different nature. The bubble had exploded, throwing the protesters to the ground. There was already blood, Barbara could see it, but the look of horror on Jessica's face was much worse. Then there was running, and shoving, and screaming, and suddenly Barbara wasn't in her chair anymore. She was on the ground and there were feet on her back. Heels and boots and sneakers trampling her into the pavement.

Barbara couldn't breathe. Her chest was cracked; she could feel the broken ribs pressing into her lungs with each gasp. She couldn't lift her head to find Jessica, and she couldn't call out to her either.

"Barbara!" A male voice was beside her. "Barbara." He said again. It was Flash.

"Help me." She gasped.

"Barbara." He cupped her face in his hands. "I need your help. Why didn't Poison Ivy kill The Joker before."

"W-what?" She grunted, confusion, pain and the screams of others swirling around in her head.

"If Ivy loved Harley, and Joker beat Harley, why didn't she kill him before?" He tried to clarify his question over the noise.

"S-she…" Barbara forced out against the pavement. "She would have never forgiven her."

"Harley was Joker's psychiatrist at Arkham?"

"Yes." She grunted.

"W—"

"The file's gone. But March 1st, 1997." Barbara told him before he could finish his question.

He nodded reverently. "Goodbye, Barbara." And in a flash, he was gone.

"Let's go." He clapped his hands and booted up the system in record time. And then he was running. Through time and space, bending it, bisecting it, moving past the pain and heartbreak this dystopian future had caused. Past The Joker's cruelty, to Lois, to Harley…Arkham Asylum, Gotham City, March 1st, 1997.

Flash whipped past the red convertible, past the blonde distracted by the cells on either side of her…and right into the brunette walking briskly ahead. He bumped her just slightly, just enough for her to stop and look back, trying to find out what she'd tripped over. The blonde wasn't paying attention and had to adjust her trajectory at the last possible second in order to avoid a collision, ending up on the opposite side of the brunette then how she'd started.

"Please don't take this the wrong way, Harley…" The brunette addressed the blonde "but why are you here?"

Harley's breath caught in her throat. "Ex-excuse me?"

The woman's face softened slightly. "With grades like yours you could have gone anywhere. Why are you here? Why would you subject yourself to this?"

Harley was relieved. It seemed to her that Dr. Leland had meant her comment as a compliment. "To be honest Joan, I'm simply fascinated by the criminal psyche, extreme personalities especially. Working here is actually a bit of a dream come true."

Joan snorted. "That will wear off quickly." She started off down the hallway again. "I hope you're not planning on writing a tell-all book about this. These people can see a cash grab coming a mile away. They are animals and they will use any leverage or perceived weakness to get the upper hand."

Harley kept in stride with her boss, her strong gymnast legs easily carrying her weight. "Well you can't deny there's an element of glamour to these super criminals…"

They were passing the first set of cells now. A man peered out of one on the left hand side, obsessively licking the glass.

"But no, on principal I am not at Arkham simply for the elevated profile." Harley finished.

"Then there's a chance you might survive here." Leland said, stopping with her back to a seemingly empty cell.

Harley looked over the woman's shoulder at the warmly lit three-walled room. A shelf containing a variety of potted plants was set against the glass. Harley could see one of them blooming, an eye-catching crimson blossom.

"Step away from the glass, Joker." Dr. Leland implored a patient in the opposite direction of Harley's attention, then sighed, lowering her voice back to a conversational volume. "You'll come to know the occupants pretty quickly. Which ones are beyond hope of reform and which ones just happened to lose their way. It's a fairly simple delineation in most cases."

Harley watched as a woman's hand reached out from behind the brick portion of the cell and watered the potted plants. Harley squinted her eyes, unable to tell if the green tint to the woman's skin was just a trick of the light or some sort of bizarre condition. "And what about the other cases?" Harley asked, brushing by Dr. Leland towards the woman's hand as it retracted with the watering can back out of sight. "The ones who aren't so cut and dry?"

Dr. Leland turned to see where Harley was headed. "Master manipulators. They will set a trap and have you wrapped around their finger before you know it. You have to continually remind yourself that you are in charge of the situation. You are not powerless." Leland watched for a moment. "And that one?" She pointed to the cell which Harley was now standing directly in front of. "She's the worst one."

"Who?" Harley turned away from Dr. Leland to peer into the cell and was startled by the breathtaking redheaded woman standing just on the other side of the glass. It was not a trick of the light; the woman's skin did in fact have a green tint to it. But what Harley found considerably more engrossing was her eyes. They shone an almost alarming shade of harlequin green, like they had been colored by an electrically charged magic marker.

"Poison Ivy," The redhead purred in response to Harley's question, her breath creating clouds of condensation on the glass. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See, guys? You gotta have a little faith ;) This was the darkest timeline, head over to Mad Love: A New Beginning for the brightest. BYYYYYEEEEEEE


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